


I'm No Damsel

by AmuletRebel



Category: Diabolik Lovers, Karneval
Genre: Crossover that probably makes no sense, E rated just to be safe, F/M, I felt like it okay?, I really want to make Yui a badass, Love...pentagon I guess, Not as much romance as there is action and family, Yui needs some kind of past, i don't know why
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-08-08
Updated: 2017-09-01
Packaged: 2018-12-12 15:09:42
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 15
Words: 32,796
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11739606
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AmuletRebel/pseuds/AmuletRebel
Summary: Yui knew. She always knew. They were just too self-centered to see it. She was never a sacrificial bride. Yui has been a top agent of Circus for years. She's worked undercover for months after suspicion the Sakamakis are Varugas in disguise. When that information turns out to be false, she returns. Of course, when is that ever easy? Yui finds herself facing her own demons and emotions while juggling the fact that all these people just won't leave her alone. A story of family beyond blood, falling in love, and coming to terms with her life as a whole.





	1. True Yui?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I moved this from FanFiction to here because this place actually acknowledges that we will go above the M-Rated status sometimes, because we're people with a voice...and dirty minds. FF was a bit restricting in that aspect. Well, more like those people who take the rules way too seriously. Their hate almost forced me to stop writing because they reported my stories a lot. Song-fics were reported for using song lyrics in the story. M-Rated stories were reported for being MA. So this is a much better place to spread my wings and flesh out my stories! If you read all the way through, CONGRATS! I like you already. On with the story!

Her mission was almost complete. There was only one more assignment to follow and then she could abandon the bloodsuckers’ lair and return to the one place she liked to call home. She couldn’t help but smirk when she thought of her so-called “owners.” They dared to call her stupid? Those boys were the true idiots as they failed to see her true nature. They were so blinded by their self-centeredness and her supposedly delicious blood that they barely even felt when she plunged needles in them to obtain samples of their own blood.

Yui looked over at her nightstand where the six vials of blood were hidden in a secret compartment she carved out herself. Each vial was labeled with the name of the brother the contents came from. The blonde had to keep herself from laughing at how easy this assignment was. Her captain had utmost faith that she could accomplish the task he gave her, and she wasn’t going to let him down. Not after he…

Her thoughts were cut short by a loud pounding on her bedroom door and an obnoxious voice. “Yo, Chichinashi! Hurry up and get ready! Yours Truly doesn’t have all day!” Subaru was right. That self-given nickname had become quite annoying. No matter. As long as things went her way, she’d never have to hear it again.

“Y-yes Ayato-kun,” she responded with her fake stutter. And the idiot she worked with thought she couldn’t make it as an actress. She made a mental note to brag about her skills next time she saw him.

She made quick work with her outfit, as she always did. She slid easily out of the nightgown those perverts made her wear and slipped into her school uniform. Yui clipped on her bow and looked at herself in the mirror, giving a little twirl. It’s actually kinda cute, she thought to herself. It’s a shame I have to get blood on it today. With a hidden smirk, she removed the vials from their hidden compartment and slipped them into her bed, and then she exited her room. She had a few secret calls to make once she got to school.

The limo ride to school was silent as always. It was enjoyable at times. Back home, her associates could get quite loud and sometimes it became irritating. Then again, she couldn’t imagine her life without all that noise. She also tried her best to bite back all the insults she was ready to use as responses for Raito’s perverted comments. I don’t know if I can hold out much longer. I just have to complete one task and I’ll be done.

Once the seven were at school, Yui followed close behind Ayato and Kanato like always towards the first class. However, this day was different. The young blonde detected something off around her. She attempted to access what was giving her the strange feeling until it hit her; literally. A teenage male with spiky brown hair bumped into her, causing her to lose her balance for a few seconds. She managed to catch herself and straighten her spine again.

“Sorry about that,” the boy said, his navy blue eyes staring at her. Yui could tell those eyes weren’t looking at her, but _through_ her.

“I’m sorry too,” she replied as the boy walked away. Then she whispered, “Sorry you won’t be around much longer…” _Looks like I have two tasks to complete. That boy is one of them for sure._

“Chichinashi! Quit staring into space and hurry up!” Ayato yelled, seeing Yui gazing down the empty hall.

Yui turned and ran up to them. “Sorry. I’m here.”

“You’re lucky Yours Truly is feeling merciful today. But make sure to give me your blood once we get home.” The redhead simply smirked and began walking to class again.

Yui had survived the lecture and free period began only a few minutes ago and Yui wandered the crowded halls, clutching her schoolbag and searching for her destination. As she turned the corner, she saw the set of double doors at the very end of the hall.

“There you are,” she murmured to herself and proceeding toward the doors.

The young blonde pushed one of the doors open and strode into the somewhat-filled library. But she didn’t stop just there. Without being detected by the librarian or any of the teachers, Yui walked to the very back of the room, finding a single metallic door that appeared to have rusted with time. She tried to open it but it was certainly locked. Digging into her skirt pocket, she pulled out a silver key with “skeleton key – use for emergencies” engraved on it. Yui slowly pushed it into the lock and turned it, smiling as she heard the click. Slowly pushing the door open to make sure it wouldn’t squeak, she found exactly what they said she would find.

The room was dimly lit by only one small lamp hanging from the ceiling. Wallpaper curled and chipped from all ends. A musky smell hung in the air. At one corner was a scratched up oak desk with, upon close examination, vicious claw marks. The left side of the room was lined with various file cabinets. Piles of books and paper were everywhere, practically creating a narrow path from the entrance to the desk to the cabinets. _Time to get to work._ After closing the door, she opened every cabinet, examined every file, and skimmed through every book. But she didn’t find a shred of the information she was supposed to find.

“What gives?!” she silently yelled in frustration and kicked the desk. She was shocked to hear a soft jiggle of something from inside the desk. Yui poked around the seemingly ordinary desk, seeking a secret compartment or something. Secret compartments were her thing; she could detect all of them if there were any. She soon discovered that the top of the desk opened up and she found a dirty, leather-bound journal inside. “Yes!” she exclaimed in victory. Opening up the pages, she smiled wider as every page contained what she was sent to obtain. She slipped the book into her page and walked out, making sure to lock the door as she exited. Now all that was left was that boy and she could leave. She knew her boss was waiting for her and she wasn’t going to disappoint him any time soon.

Yui made it up to the roof, hiding in a corner where no one who suddenly appeared would notice her. She took out a special device out of her sock and opened it up. Small phones did come in handy. She felt lucky she wasn’t strip-searched at any point. “Call the captain,” she spoke and it began to ring.

Once the person on the other end picked up, she began to speak. “Yes, I’m still here…No, no one figured me out. But it seems we have a problem…I found one. It’s disguising itself and attempting to blend in…Yes, I will exterminate it properly. I need all my gear transported here as soon as possible…We will still meet at the designated location once I’m finished.” She smiled softly. “Thank you. I promise to not let you down.” She snapped the phone shut and slipped it back into its hiding place.

It took only ten minutes for the package to arrive and land right at Yui’s side. Inside, she found everything she needed. She made a mad dash from the roof to a nearby janitor’s closet in an abandoned hallway. Yui slipped on a pair of leather fingerless gloves and took off her school shoes, getting comfortable in knee-high black leather boots. Afterwards, she secured a custom utility belt around her waist. She grabbed what was left in the package; two key chains that were shaped like a gun and a sword. “How sweet. He made my weapons travel-size.”

Yui was officially ready for action. However, once she stepped out into the empty hallway, she was surprised to see the boy from earlier leaning against the wall with a sick smile. The blonde returned the expression with her own malicious grin. “I love it when my prey find me. It spares me the trouble of tracking you down.” All humor left her as she sneered at the brunette. “Prepare to die today, _varuga_.”

The teenage male just laughed evilly and cracked his neck, staring Yui down. “I think not. I can’t believe I got so lucky to have the opportunity to fight the Midnight Huntress herself. I believe you should be the one prepared to die, Yui of Circus.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm trying to polish up my drawing skills so I can make some art for this story. Frankly, I'd love to see someone make fanart of Yui in badass fighter girl outfits. Until the next chapter! Which won't be long because I have 11 more chapters to upload.


	2. Home Again

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yui is back on Airship Two and ready to get down to business. However, she learns that some things have changed since she's been away.

Yui knew the first thing she had to do. The keychain gun in her hand glowed before it converted into a full size gun. She aimed up at the roof and shot one of the sprinklers, which in turn set off the fire alarms. She may need to kill the guy, but she needed to make sure there were minimal injuries. She faced the varuga, her gun pointed toward him, only to see him chuckling.

“That was a dull move,” he laughed, “We could’ve played a game with the victims!”

“You’re sick,” Yui growled. “I’ll kill you for sure!”

She charged at him, shooting for his heart, but he kept dodging her bullets. She wasn’t going to die here, not until her goal was accomplished. She chased him down the hall, continuing to shoot at him, aiming for his weak spot that would end his life. But he was quick and flexible.

Meanwhile, outside the building, the teachers were lining up all their students. Ayato and Subaru seemed a bit frantic as they searched the crowds for a blonde head of hair with a flower clip in it, but couldn’t find it.

“Yoshida-kun?” the teacher called.

“Here!”

“Hinata-chan?”

“Here!”

“Komori-chan?” No answer. “Komori-chan?” There was still no response. “Has anyone see Komori-chan?” All brothers were suddenly aware of the situation and gathered together from their individual classes.

“Where could Bitch-chan have gone this time?” Raito wondered aloud.

“Who knows what the clumsy girl does,” Reiji responded.

“I haven’t seen Chichinashi for a while,” Ayato commented. “Anyone else see her?”

All the brothers shook their heads. However, one was missing. Subaru was long gone, rushing into the building to find Yui. His siblings followed after him a few seconds later. Once the youngest brother rushed inside, he could instantly hear a booming noise from one of the upper level. Afterwards, there came a very loud bang. He could smell blood, but was unsure of whose it was.

“I smell blood,” he warned his siblings, “but it doesn’t smell like Yui’s. It smells…similar though…”

Subaru had no idea he was only half correct. Yui was somewhat in danger. She ducked behind walls and continued to shoot at her target. But it was futile. He only continued to dodge and move closer to her position. The young agent wasn’t giving up though. She took the sword keychain out of her pocket and it sparkled, growing into a full length sword. Yui ran out of her hiding spot, ready to end the varuga where he stood.

Unfortunately, luck was not on her side. Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted red hair she knew too well. Her eyes widened as she saw all six Sakamaki brothers freeze where they stood, trying to analyze what they were suddenly seeing. They just couldn’t believe their eyes. The sweet and innocent Yui they knew was wearing leather and had a sword in her hand and a gun at her hip. The creature in front of her was a different story. His gray skin gave off an eerie feel to him. His pupils were dilated, leaving only black and no color to his eyes. His neck was extended a bit, indicating he clearly wasn’t human.

“Oh, how nice~” the creature hissed in sick delight. “Are these your friends of yours Miss Yui? Like they say, the more the merrier!”

The boy lunged toward the group of brothers at lightning speed. But Yui was quicker at managed to get in front of them at the last minute, shooting at the varuga in the arm. The creature recoiled and jumped back, but its clawed managed to rip Yui’s uniform, luckily avoiding any flesh wounds.

“What are you doing here?!” Yui demanded. “That doesn’t matter right now. You have to get out of here right now.” She turned toward the varuga. “I’ve had enough of you!” She charged toward him, her sword at the ready. “Detonica!” Yui exclaimed and swung her sword, slicing the varuga in half, and she jumped back to evade the blood splatter.

The ones who witnessed the scene were still unsure of what to make of it. They didn’t know what that creature even was. It was nothing they had seen before. But the most confusing thing was Yui decked out in boots and gloves, looking nothing like the girl they believed her to be. Yui simply cleaned invisible dust off her uniform and looked at them with a blank expression in her eyes. “Well this is awkward,” she said. “You weren’t supposed to find out this way, but oh well. Better report this.” Yui simply walked past them like she didn’t just give them the shock of their lives.

She walked outside to the back of the building where her ride was waiting for her. The blonde skipped over to it and hugged the handle bars. “I missed my baby so much,” she whispered to the navy blue motorcycle. She hopped onto the plush seat and turned the keys in the ignition. Before moving out, she took out her magenta goggles from under the seat and placed them over her eyes. Revving up the engine to enjoy the nostalgic sound, she then lifted the kickstand and drove out to the streets of the city.

While driving on the road, she noticed a familiar figure near an alleyway. She smiled and carefully pulled over to greet the older gentleman. She parked the motorcycle and got off, lifting the goggles over her head. She gave a small bow and happily said, “I’m finally back captain Hirato.”

The man gently laid his hand on her head and ruffled her platinum blonde hair. “I’m happy to know you got out of there okay. Did you take your medicine while you were away?”

Yui giggled and moved his hand away from her hair. “I’m not nine anymore sir. And yes, I took my medicine. I hid it in the rosary you gave me.”

Hirato smiled down at the teenage girl, still being able to picture her as the little girl he first met. “Good. Now let’s head back to the ship. Your motorcycle will be transported back so don’t worry. I’d also like you to meet someone when we get back. You will be showing this person the ropes of Circus life.”

She was a bit confused. So she was going to be training a rookie? Yui nodded and jumped into the air with Hirato, soaring through the air and upwards toward Airship Two. She looked down to see her motorcycle disappear in a cloud of sparkles and felt reassured. But Yui couldn’t help but feel a chill run down her spine. She turned head to spot Ayato flying toward them as fast as he could.

“Tch,” Yui scowled. “Why can’t these guys take a hint?!” She grabbed her gun and fired a warning shot at him, causing the redhead to fall down to the earth, the trees hiding where he possibly landed. She didn’t do any damage, just grazed his neck a bit, but not enough to make him bleed. Once that problem was (kinda) solved, Hirato and Yui flew up to the ship, entering with ease. The robotic ship on the airship blocked them from going any further, as usual.

“Good evening,” the captain said and the sheep let him through.

Yui’s rose eyes stared down at the robots and she said in a fake cheery voice, “Hello rack-of-lambs.” They let her through after registering her voice.

“YUI!” a male voice from down the hall shouted out. Yui couldn’t see much as a yellow blur tackled her to the ground. “I thought you were never coming back! I was so worried! Those blood suckers didn’t hurt you much, did they?” The only answer he received was a punch to the gut that sent him flying.

“Damn it, Yogi! I’m just fine! You talk like I can’t take care of myself! If anyone’s helpless here, it’s you.” One blonde was lying on the floor and whimpering while the other was rolling her eyes.

“Yui’s being mean to me again!” Yogi whined and started running.

“I’ll show you mean!” the petite blonde screamed and chased after him.

She chased him all over the ship, making every sharp turn possible. However, she lost him about halfway through the chase, stopping at an intersection. But she was going to give up so easily. Yui sniffed the air for a few seconds and headed right. She continued to run until she slammed head first into a toned chest (she just had to admit it). Both fell down onto the floor, Yui rubbing her neck as she attempted to stand up.

“Watch where you’re go—” but she was cut short once she saw who she bumped in to. He wasn’t someone she recognized from all her years at Circus. She wouldn’t deny he was definitely handsome and his disheveled hair and clothing gave him a bad boy vibe. His eyes revealed how annoyed he was. Yui stood up at dusted herself off. “Sorry about that. I was chasing after the idiot that lives on this ship. The name’s Yui. Good to see a new face.” She extended her hand to him, which he took, and she helped him up. 

“Gareki,” the male introduced himself. After a few seconds of shaking hands and staring at each other, a young boy—he appeared a little younger than Yui—ran up to the two. The teens holding hands suddenly felt awkward and stepped away from each other, releasing their grip.

“There you are, Gareki,” the boy said with a smile. Then he turned to the girl. “Have we met before? I feel like I’ve seen you.”

Yui glanced at the innocent red-eyed boy and shook her head. “I don’t believe so. Who are you though?” _Have I missed this much while I was away_ , she wondered.

“Oh! I’m Nai,” the white-haired boy beamed. “It’s nice to meet you.” Before Yui could extend her greeting, he exclaimed, “Wait! I know now! I remember Yogi showing us a photo taken twelve years ago! You were the little girl right next to Mister Hirato!”

_I’m gonna kill him_ , Yui mentally roared. “Yes. I know about that photo. It was taken when I first joined Circus. It’s not all that special.” _It’s extremely valuable._

“You looked so young! How old were you in the photo?” Nai inquired, his sweet smile still in place.

“I was about three at the time,” she answered simply.

“Wait!” Gareki interjected. “They take kids in when they’re that young?!”

“It’s not what you may think. I joined Circus out of my own free will. I didn’t start my training until a few years later; also, I chose to train when I reached that age.” The boys could only nod after Yui gave her answer, almost like it was practiced. Of course she had to practice her answer when she was little; otherwise she could’ve been taken from her new home.

“Yui, I’m glad you’re back,” a new, feminine voice said. Yui recognized it right away.

“Tsukumo,” Yui said with a small smile, “It’s great to be home. Has anything important happened while I was away? Besides meeting some new faces of course.”

“Actually, yes. There have been some developments. Let’s go to the sitting room and talk.” Tsukumo turned to the boys. “Gareki, Nai, would you like to come with us? I think you guys should be around too.”

Gareki answered nonchalantly, “Whatever.”

The four walked down the hall to where they needed to be. Yui had no idea she’d be in for a small shock once they actually sat down to chat.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 2 down, 10 to go. Of course, I'm not saying it's the end. I'm only getting started!


	3. Skills

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hirato wants Yui to teach Gareki a few things, but when he refuses, her prideful nature gets the best of her. Who said a girl doesn't have fighting skills?

Yui almost choked on her coffee that the sheep robots served the four of them when she heard all the news. She was expecting a moment of engine failure or Yogi doing something really stupid again, but this was beyond even her wildest expectations; basically, Eva not showing so much skin for once.

“Are you serious?!” the shocked blonde exclaimed. “You found a girl with varuga blood in her system who you may think also has that proof and could help us find a cure?”

Tsukumo nodded. “That is correct. Her name is Tsubame and she and Gareki are close friends.”

Yui looked toward Gareki for a moment, her bangs helping to cover her glance. “I see.” Then she glanced down at the floor and whispered almost inaudibly. “I’m glad it’s not just me anymore…”

Unfortunately, Gareki caught it. “What do mean by that?” he inquired.

The young blonde sighed and stared into his eyes. “I really don’t want to discuss that topic right now. I’d appreciate it if you’d drop it for now.”

Before the male she was talking to could respond, Hirato smiled as he stepped into the room. “It’s lovely to see you boys have met Yui,” he said smoothly, knowing fully well he saved Yui from having to reveal information about herself. “She has been in Circus a very long time. She’s also going to be your mentor, Gareki.”

“Wait, what?!” Gareki shot up from his seat. “No way! I don’t need some chick teaching me. I’m doing just fine!”

Yui’s eyes narrowed at the words “some chick” and thought Gareki was just being judgmental because she was a girl. “You don’t think I’m good at my job?” she questioned and then smirked. “Well then, rookie, let’s see what you’ve got.” She slowly stood up and set her hands on her hips.

They all went outside of the ship to watch what would occur between Gareki and Yui. Hirato was very aware that both were extremely skilled with a gun, but only Yui could do things that no one else in Circus could. They ventured into a forest where no one could spot them and found a perfect sized clearing. Before proceeding, Yui asked Gareki to see his gun for a moment and he reluctantly complied, trusting her to not shoot him in front of everyone at the very least. She emptied out the rounds of bullets in the gun and filled it back up with a custom set of bullets.

“These special bullets are used for the kind of training we will be doing,” the young blonde explained as he nodded. She walked about 20 feet away from him and stopped, then turned to face him. “Alright! I’m going to come after you! I want you to try and shoot me!”

The male did a double take, unsure of what he was hearing. “Are you insane?!”

She just giggled a little and said, “It’s okay! I can promise you nothing bad will happen to me if you do.” She crouched down a bit and smirked once again. “And…begin!”

She lunged toward him at an incredible speed. Gareki stumbled and pulled out his gun, shooting at Yui so she couldn’t get closer. But she was too quick, dodging every bullet and successfully kicking him in the side. Gareki doubled over, looking pissed. He slowly rose up and aimed his gun before firing once more. Yui continued to avoid the bullets and was suddenly behind him, giving a good kick to his back.

“You gotta be faster than that rookie!” Yui commented mockingly. “Varugas are just as fast, so you gotta be ready for anything!”

The battle was going nowhere fast. Time after time, Gareki would shoot and Yui would dodge. Gareki acknowledged how light the girl was on her feet, and her moments proved to assure him that, despite her schoolgirl clothing, she was indeed a member of Circus. Then again, her just knowing what varugas are was the cold hard evidence to reassure her position in the organization.

She charged at him once more, but was shocked to see a bullet headed straight for her, aimed right between her eyes. It was way too close to dodge from her position, so it continued its trajectory toward the blonde. Her eyes widened at the surprising turn of events and braced herself for its impact. The bullet hit her right in the forehead and she was knocking off her feet. Yui felt like everything was going in slow motion as she fell backwards, her back landing harshly on the grassy terrain.

Gareki stood up but immediately began to worry when he saw Yui not standing back up. _I didn’t mean to kill her_ , he panicked. I only did what she said! He was cut off from his inner turmoil when he heard a light giggle. He quickly turned his head—he was surprised it didn’t sprain or break—toward the girl currently flat of her back. Then it began a full-blown laugh. The chick was laughing after getting shot! He looked at where he shot her to see no blood or entry wound the bullet should have caused.

Yui slowly rose to her feet, still laughing. “Wow! I…wasn’t expecting…that!” she exclaimed between laughs. “Really! No one has ever managed to actually shoot me before!” She set her hands on her hips, a new sense of respect gleaming in her eyes. “You got some potential. And I like your spunk. I don’t say that to just anyone you know.”

“Wait a minute!” Gareki interrupted and Yui’s laughter immediately stopped. “How do you not have a bullet in your brain right now?!”

The blonde teenager smirked and began to clarify. “I told you they were special bullets. I designed them myself for training combat. I designed them so that they could accelerate at the same speed as a regular bullet, but these bullets can’t penetrate the skin. Now that that’s out of the way…” Yui strode over to Gareki and reached out her hand. “I never got to formally introduce myself. I’m Yui of Circus, also known as the Midnight Huntress because of my sniper and sword skills. I hope we will work well together in the future.”

She waited for some time before the male took her hand and shook it. She turned a really light pink at the contact between them and eventually smiled. She was never one to do well around people, but something in her heart told her there would be a lot of good times in store for her and the ones she called her family.

Her ears caught a rushing sound not too far behind them and if her sense of smell was correct, she knew who was approaching them. She let go of Gareki’s hand and slowly turned toward the sound, her face taking on an emotionless mask. “Well, it seems like some people just can’t take a hint.”

The first one to speak up held his teddy bear tightly. “Why’d you run Yui-san?”

Electric green eyes glared at Yui, beyond any anger she’s ever seen in them. “Oi, Chichinashi! You’re coming back with us!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I might not finish uploading all the chapters, but I'll do my best!


	4. Hidden Beneath

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yui wants nothing more than to go back to her daily life, but the Sakamakis made that difficult for her. When her anger reaches a high point, a side of her she never wanted anyone to see reveals itself.

Yui stared blankly at the boys from the corner of her eye. They returned her look with their own glares, feeling betrayed. “No one invited you,” Yui stated emotionlessly. “My life has nothing to do with you now, anyway.”

“The hell it does!” Subaru yelled in pure rage.

Kanato grew angry and shouted, “You’re supposed to be our prey, you stupid girl!”

Yui’s sherbet eyes hardened as she scowled at the six brothers. She realized that Gareki and Nai had no clue what was happening. Hirato trusted Yui to handle the situation on her own. And if she couldn’t, she knew her would step in if need be. “I was never your prey and I never will be,” the young blonde explained. “The whole ‘sacrificial bride’ thing was an excuse for being in the area.”

“You really are a selfish woman,” Reiji stated with irritation, “No matter. You’ll be coming back like an obedient girl.”

Yui didn’t know how much more she could take. Her anger was elevating quickly and her blood rushed faster through her veins. “Why can’t you get it through your egotistical skulls?!” she shouted at them. The Sakamakis were completely shocked to see the blonde’s dramatic personality change as she yelled. “You are so annoying! Just go away before I have to–” She was suddenly cut off when her whole body began to ache. “No…” she whispered, falling to her knees and clutching her head, “Not now…” The pain was becoming too much before she fell forward, lying flat on the grass.

Hirato and Tsukumo’s eyes widened, knowing fully well what was happening. Yui didn’t move for a while. However, a small giggle broke the silent atmosphere. Gareki listened to the giggle that slowly shifted to a laugh. It was nothing like what he had first heard from the girl. The first laugh was relaxed and lively. But this one sounded malicious and twisted. Yui lifted her head to stare at the people around her. However, when she opened her eyes, they were no longer pink; they were dark gold.

“Oh look,” Yui cooed, “more playmates. Isn’t that a blast?”

Suddenly, she lunged for Subaru. Her nails lengthened and formed sharp ends. Luckily, the white-haired vampire managed to jump out of the way before Yui could do any damage. But that didn’t stop her from going after Ayato, Kanato, and then Raito. She laughed the entire time, a carnal desire to spill blood possessing her soul. However, the abrupt attack ended not long after it started. A needle was pierced into the back of Yui’s neck, turning her eyes back to pink and knocking her unconscious. Yogi stood behind her, holding the syringe. His eyes were filled with concern as he destroyed the needle and picked Yui up, giving her a piggyback ride.

“She’s been through enough,” Yogi told Hirato, “I’ll take her back to the ship so she can sleep.” Hirato nodded and sent him off. The eldest blonde nodded back and flew upward.

“Hold up, you bastard,” the redhead vampire yelled, but Yogi was already gone. He looked to Hirato with hatred, but the man just smiled secretively.

“I’m guessing you want an explanation?” the captain asked. “Well, after everything you have seen, I will provide it on the ship. Come Tsukumo.”

The girl responded, “Yes sir,” and the two flew up to the ship, the vampires following behind them.

The sitting area was occupied by Captain Hirato, Tsukumo, and the Sakamaki brothers. The brothers took a moment to look around the airship. The place was actually pretty classy, with its combination of simplistic and elegant features. The decorations did imply, but not scream, a circus. The robot sheep weren’t that bad either. They brought each person their choice of drink and resumed cleaning around the ship. Although, they were a bit irritated with them when they wouldn’t let anyone pass through the main entrance without them registering their voices.

“Let’s get down to business, shall we?” Hirato asked with a grin. He closed his eyes and folded his hand in his lap. “As you know now, Circus had chosen Yui to investigate the city you reside in. The officials were suspicious of you six and decided to thoroughly examine the situation. Yui was ordered to collect blood samples from you to examine once she got back.”

“But what was with her going all psycho not too long ago?” Subaru questioned, more confused about that than anything.

Hirato opened his eyes as his place became much more serious. “Yui has…a special condition. Our top scientists have been working to find a cure ever since we first noticed it. Yui did tell me what you saw at the school. What you saw was a varuga, vicious creatures of the night that their creators believe to be the peak of evolution. Circus strongly disagrees. Yui was involved in an…incident…that caused her to almost become a varuga herself. Normally, a person would transform into a varuga at this point, but Yui survived. She’s been able to stop the transform by her own will power and special medicine that we developed just for her.”

The six brothers nodded in understanding but more questions still remained. Shu decided to ask one of them. “How did you take in that troublesome woman?”

“Circus rescued her. The place she came from was also the place she was involved in the incident. I’m afraid that’s all I can say. The rest is Yui’s choice to tell.”

“I don’t see why you’re telling them a damn thing when they shouldn’t know in the first place,” a feminine voice from the doorway growled, making everyone turn their heads. The very girl in question was standing there with casual clothing on. Her gray sweat pants read ‘Freak Show’ in red on the left thigh and her long-sleeved top was decked out with printed-on chains and spike necklace, and to top it all off, her hair was put up in a ponytail. She looked like a completely different person to anyone who wasn’t a member of Circus. “You heard correctly though. Circus saved my life and I will remain loyal to them until the day I die.” Yui looked at Hirato for a few seconds and looked back at the siblings. “And it would serve you well to keep your nosy egos out of my business before I’m forced to sneak up on you while you’re asleep and cut off your favorite appendage.”

“The first half of that statement sounded nice~” Raito lewdly commented.

Yui made a ‘tch’ sound, much like Subaru usually would. “You’re a disgusting pervert.” She sighed and sat next to the captain, taking a sip of his tea without giving it a second thought. “Either way, we’ll be sending you ho–”

“Yui!” a man yelled as he burst through the door. Ryoushi, the healer, looked extremely pissed, well as pissed as he possibly could look. “We discussed this. You were not to lead the medical room while you were on the mend from one of your episodes.”

“But it was stuffy and boring in there,” Yui whined, folding her legs to sit crisscross on the couch. “I don’t know about you, gramps, but I need room to move around.”

Hirato coughed to gain everyone’s attention. “Yui, you should get back to resting. I’m sure you need it because you’ll be a mentor soon.” He then looked to the six young men across from them. “I would normally recommend you go back home and we erase whatever memories you have of Circus. However, I would like you to stay here for a while. You could help us in some ways.”

“No way!” the blonde next to him protested. “Sir, that’s against protocol! And I can’t stand these rich bastards!”

“Yui,” the captain said sternly, “you must understand.”

“…Yes sir.” Yui looked to the floor as she stood and left the room, following Ryoushi back to her room to rest.

Once she got there, she looked around it for the first time in months. She was happy nothing was out of place. She walked over and fell onto her comfy bed. Staring at her night stand, she grabbed the frame off of it and held it close to her chest. The photo was taken when she first joined Circus and met Yogi and Tsukumo. She was so happy when she found out she could have people to call family. She would be dead if Captain Hirato hadn’t saw hope in her and took her in. Still holding the photo close to her chest, Yui closed her eyes and fell into a dreamless sleep.


	5. I Want to Know

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You know when you see someone and you instantly try to figure them out? Yeah, well Yui was never good at that. Plus, she's not as much of a prier as people like to believe.

Tsukumo nudged Yui as she slept peacefully in her bed. She came to Yui’s room to inform her dinner was ready and the Sakamaki brothers were still on the ship. Hirato assigned this particular job to Tsukumo because he knew Yui would never try to hurt her, unlike she would to Yogi. The pigtailed blonde heard a soft thump from the other side of the bed and walked around to investigate. On the floor was the photo Yui was recently clutching, still intact and face up. Tsukumo couldn’t help but smile as the memories came flooding in.

_Tsukumo and Yogi had no idea why they were called to the control room. Theories ran through their childish brains. Were they in trouble? Were they starting their training so late at night? Did something happen to one of the members? The two small blondes stood in front of the main computer nervously. Yogi was fidgeting nonstop while Tsukumo tried to appear as calm as possibly. Neither looked up from the floor until the doors opened and Captain Hirato walked in with his usual mysterious grin._

_“It’s good to see you made it okay,” Hirato said, tipping his hat to the two children. “I wanted to introduce you to the newest addition of our little family.”_

_He gestured his hand down to the small figure behind him. Her platinum blonde bangs fell over her pink eyes and her tiny hands gripped the captain’s long coat tightly, staying planted in her spot behind him. “This is Yui,” the captain introduced for her, “She doesn’t talk much but please make her feel welcome.”_

Tsukumo gently nudged Yui, trying to wake her. “Yui,” she gently called. No response. “Yui,” she tried again, “Yui.” Finally, she leaned down and proceeded with the worst case scenario. Tsukumo whispered in Yui’s ear, “Yui, Yogi wrecked your bike.” She leaned back as Yui sprang up into a sitting position, looking totally pissed.

“I’ll kill that stupid kitty!” she yelled before stopping and looking around, only to realize she was in her room, on her own bed, and Tsukumo was standing next to her. “Something tells me you did that to wake me up.” Tsukumo just dodged the pillow aimed at her face. “I’ll be there, just let me change.”

Once Tsukumo was gone, Yui got up off her bed and walked to her dark violet vanity, undoing her ponytail. She grabbed her brush and slowly glided it through her hair to get out the tangles. After she was done, she removed her shirt and sweats then went over to her wardrobe for her clothes. She slipped on her ripped tights and black shirt with red and purple plaid. The blonde searched her wardrobe for her favorite shirt but couldn’t seem to find it.

“Hey, the man, Hiroko or whatever sent me to ge–” Subaru cut himself off once he was gazing at Yui’s exposed back. It was covered with old scratches, gashes, and burns. He couldn’t believe no one noticed them before. “W-what…?”

Yui sighed and turned to the white-haired vampire. “Don’t you dare repeat what you saw or heard to anyone.” She continued to search her closet until she finally found her shirt and put it on. “These marks were from the research facility I was kept at.”

The white-haired vampire only had one question on his mind. “How did you manage to hide all that?”

Pink eyes only stared at him with an unreadable expression before their owner spoke, “That’s classified.” And she walked past him to the dining hall.

 _I can’t take this much longer_ , Yui screamed mentally, sitting at the quiet dinner table and resisting the urge to stab her food with her fork. Captain Hirato invited the Sakamakis to have dinner with the crew. Normally, the dining hall would be filled with intermingling conversations and laughter. But with the ever dull vampires in the room, everyone tried to appear super formal. Yui had no clue why when they had no true need to impress anyone but those who employed their services.

Minutes that seemed like hours ticked by until Yogi decided to speak. “Well…this is awkward…” His eyes shifted nervously to everyone looking down at their food.

Yui couldn’t help but sigh and agree, adding a sarcastic, “Wonder why _that_ is…” Suddenly, she got an idea, although she didn’t know how everyone would react. At least she would get a laugh. “Hey Yogi,” she called to said man sitting across from her. She scooped up from mashed potatoes from her plate with her spoon and tilted it back with her index finger. She let go and watched as the food catapulted and hit Yogi directly in the face.

A few snickers resounded from Yui’s lips until she finally burst out laughing. Tsukumo and Nai couldn’t help but join in the laughter while Hirato and Gareki chuckled lowly at Yogi’s expense. Yogi pouted and complained how cruel the younger blonde could be before picking up some of his salad and lamely flinging it at Yui. She ducked just in time and, weirdly and unfortunately, the food managed to hit the captain.

Yui tensed up in her seat, completely frozen. This was not good. However, instead of scolding her harshly right on the spot, the captain tossed his bread at Yogi’s head, which missed and hit Gareki. Gareki was totally pissed and threw his vegetables at the captain, but that ended up hitting Tsukumo. And so, a food fight began. By the end of the evening, every member of Circus was covered in their dinner. The Sakamakis left the room some time ago since they wanted no part in the event.

After the little dinner fiasco, Yui lazily walked down the corridors to her room, hoping to shower off all the food. She looked ahead to see Gareki, also covered in food, walking ahead of her. “Hey, rookie!” she called, running toward him, and then stopped in front of him. She walked backwards while facing him.

“I have a name you know,” the young male sneered, “It’s Gareki.”

Yui waved dismissively and said, “I knew that. I just want you to know when it’s me calling for you. I am your mentor now.”

“Whatever,” Gareki huffed and continued to walk, Yui hot on his heels.

“You’re not very social, are you?” the petite blonde asked, attempting to make peace with the guy.

“You could say that.”

She was getting absolutely nowhere with him fast. It wasn’t like she was vying for his attention, but sure as hell didn’t want to make an enemy out of someone she’s supposed to be teaching. “I’ve got an invitation for ya,” Yui said, getting a good idea out of the blue, “The captain wanted me to get some supplies in this town we’ll be stopping over shortly.”

“What’s your point?”

“I want you to come along with me. Plus, I’m looking for some new guns and materials we can both benefit from. And you’ll come to learn I don’t react well to the word ‘no.’” The blonde gave a little smirk, knowing she had him cornered.

Once they both showered off and changed, the two headed into town, Yui keeping the list in her pocket. They had travelled all around, and most of the things were simple to locate.

“Okay, so we only need a few more things and we can go back,” Yui stated, carrying a rather large brown paper bag filled with what would seem like pieces from a junkyard to most people.

Gareki strode next to her, carrying two equally large bags. “Great…”

The two were exactly in the same state as they were on the ship and Yui didn’t like it. Sure, she wasn’t the most social person in the world but she believed Gareki brought the Circus antisocial scale. “So,” she began, “how did you learn to use a gun like that?”

The black-haired male turned to her with a skeptic look. “I figured the captain or Yogi already told you.”

“I make it a point not to pry in other people’s lives when the information might be very personal,” Yui said like it was the most obvious thing in the world, “I’m willing to hear as much as you’re willing to divulge.”

She looked up at him with her softening rose-colored eyes and Gareki felt something inside him stir. He always lived a philosophy that there were only three people in the world; enemy, obstacle, or easy mark. But during his time with Circus, he learned some people were not a part of those statistics. And it seemed, like Nai, this girl was proving herself to be quite different. “Well, I taught myself so I could survive in the world. Let’s just say that the place I lived in wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows.”

“Yeah, I understand that.” Yui felt like she hit a nerve. She could easily relate to Gareki’s situation. She didn’t like talking about her past either. Up ahead, she looked around the corner to see a game alley of some sort. “Hey,” she said, getting Gareki’s attention, “let’s take a break and go there.” She pointed to where she wanted to go.

“Isn’t that a little childish?” He raised an eyebrow, wondering if the girl was anything like Yogi.

“Before you start comparing me to Yogi, no I’m not as childish as he is. I just believe in having a little fun once in a while.” She then grabbed his arm gently and pulled him to all the games. She stopped at a ring toss booth.

“I’m telling you now, ring tosses are nothing but a scam,” Gareki tried to reason just so they could leave.

“Not always,” Yui retorted and slapped some money onto the counter, telling the booth attendant, “Give me a small bucket.” The middle-aged man nodded and put a small pail of rings onto the counter. “Come on, it’s no fun doing this alone.”

Gareki groaned and laid the bags beside him on the counter, then took one ring and tossed it toward one of the bottles. Unfortunately, it missed. “That was a waste of time.”

Yui simply rolled her eyes and tossed one after him, instantly getting a ringer. “Hold off on the prizes,” she said, “I’m feeling like gambling today. I’m going all or nothing.”

“Bold move,” Gareki said.

“Like I said, I’m a bit of a gambler.” She flashed him one of her rare smiles and continued to throw rings, one after the other, ringing a new bottle every time. The young man was surprised by the smile, a light pink dusting his cheeks. He then decided to join in on her little game, but he couldn’t get a simple ring on any of the bottles. She simply giggled and invited him to play something different with her. Yui felt like she was breaking through. The two spent the rest of the day trying out different booths and grabbing dinner at a small café and chatting about whatever popped into their heads.

Once they finally purchased the final items on the list, the two went back up to the ship and went their separate ways. But what Gareki didn’t see was the serene smile that spread across Yui’s face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, I'm not going to finish tonight. I'll plug in the other chapters tomorrow.  
> Trust me, my writing has gotten better over time.  
> Also, I put some references to movies, anime, and games in this story. If you can spot them, more power to you.


	6. This is My Past

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yui's past is revealed, and it's not a happy story.

Yui lunged forward onto her bed, the springs giving her a small boost into the air before she flopped on her back and stared at the ceiling. She never imagined a guy could make her talk as much as she did in the café. Gareki was a cool guy in her opinion, but that small scared child deep inside of her trembled at the thought of trusting anyone. Sure, she trusted Captain Hirato with her life and Yogi and Tsukumo had become like siblings to her—though it was a little laughable since that’s what people who would first meet the three assumed they were and she’d give a snarky remark about how Yogi was the youngest in mental standards.

Yui sighed fondly at the good memories and shut her eyes, intended to get some sleep. She shifted to find a comfortable position but couldn’t seem to find one. Groaning in aggravation, she put her favorite jacket back on and decided to go to her special place she visited whenever she needed air or time to herself. Trudging through the halls, her black pajama pants with red pitchforks dragging slightly behind her, the blonde climbed up the ladder at the end of the hallway and opened the hatch. She didn’t know why, but sitting on top of the airship brought her a sense of calm. When she peeked out, however, she was surprised to find she was not alone. There, some distance away, stood Gareki as he stared down below.

“Geez rookie, I didn’t know you were that desperate,” she joked, closing the hatch and going over to where he was. She sat down and stared up at him, wondering if he took what she said seriously.

“Don’t get your hopes up,” he replied, “I’m not that easy to get rid of.”

Yui simply giggled and looked up to the starry sky. “Who said I wanted you gone?” Since they were completely alone, maybe she could tell him about everything. He did witness her monster within and he’s still talking to her, even sitting next to her. “You know…we’re kinda alike…our pasts I mean.” She couldn’t believe herself right now. Yui, the greatest huntress in Circus, was fidgeting and antsy around this guy she barely knew and was about to tell him about her past that only Captain Hirato had all the pieces to.

“What are you talking about?” Gareki probed, slightly pissed someone (almost certainly Yogi) told this small but deadly blonde about events very personal in his life.

“I was told about what you went through as a kid. I went through something similar. It’s why I am how you saw me the first night we met.” She could still remember those days in vivid detail. Her breathing became slightly labored, but she continued. “I was about 3 when varugas ordered by Kafka destroyed my hometown. Everyone…my parents…they were all murdered. I was lucky enough to survive by hiding underground. But when I came back up…”

_Blood was the only thing she could see within her line of sight. Yui slowly made her way out of her hiding spot, her little brain trying to process everything that took place. Her legs wobbled as she slowly trotted through the streets of her decimated little town. Bodies littered the roads and sidewalks. The girl had to force herself not to throw up at the mere sight. Everything she ever knew was destroyed almost completely. Her home was all gone. She couldn’t bring herself to go back and see her parents’ bodies. She couldn’t explain the feeling in her gut, but it told her they were dead._

_The sound of footsteps brought her out of her thoughts and she looked around frantically, trying to find the source. Did anyone else survive? However, her heart sank when she saw it was a small group of tall men wearing white trench coats. Her instincts were screaming at her to run, but she trembled in fear, slowly backing away as they advance closer._

_When one of the men noticed her, he smiled sickly and hand out is hand. “Looks like we have a survivor to our test,” he said in a falsely sweet voice. “Come with us, little girl. We promise we won’t hurt you.”_

_But all she heard were lies. Yui turned on her heels and began running as fast as she could, just wanting to get away from the monsters in white. Her efforts were sadly in vain as she was thrown to the ground by a vicious-looking creature with sharp teeth and gray skin. Before she knew what was happening, a hard object came down on her head and her vision went blank. She was truly afraid and all alone._

_Yui was rudely awoken when the man who hauled her to wherever she was threw her roughly into a small cell and slammed the door shut. The little girl groaned in pain, examining the bruises and cuts on her arms and legs and knowing that would leave serious scars. She didn’t know what to do in the moment, so she simply scooted to a dark corner of the cell and closed her eyes, praying that she could wake up from the horrible nightmare._

_“Well, looks like you found a fine one here.” Yui opened her eyes and saw a fairly young man with light brown hair, his smirk making her fear for her life. She definitely didn’t feel right around this man. “She’ll make a fine experiment once she’s eaten, if I do say so myself.” Luckily, he walked away shortly after staring at her and Yui let out a silent sigh of relief. The same man who first talked to her in her town slid a small tray of food under her cell and left._

_The girl crawled to the tray and thoroughly inspected it. A growl from across the room made her jolt as she glanced at the source. She couldn’t believe her eyes! They were children from her town! But they looked…different. They were shoveling down the food and starting to act like hyenas fighting over the last of the scraps. Yui took it as a warning and shoved the food away. She’d rather starve than go through whatever they were._

_Days passed by. It became a routine for her and she had to find ways to prevent herself from going mad. She found a rock that was almost like chalk when scraped against the brick walls. So she drew a new picture every time she was bored. She’d receive her food every day, but she’d always slide it away. On the days she felt bold, she would throw it back in the man’s face. Unfortunately, that would always lead to a slap across the face or a whip across the back. But she grew accustomed to it, and with each time she became more defiant._

_Everything seemed to go wrong when she had the guts to bite the man’s hand when he tried to slap her. He was definitely not happy. “That does it, you little brat!” he yelled and grabbed her hair tightly. Yui suppressed a scream, not giving him the satisfaction of her weakness. “Luck for me, it’s your turn for experimentation. Maybe you’ll die and I won’t have to put up with you.”_

_Yui kicked and screamed as he dragged her through the halls of the research facility, her hands handcuffed behind her back. “Let me go!” she yelled repeatedly. She was fighting with everything she had. She didn’t want to die now. She wasn’t going to die. She wouldn’t let them kill her after the hell she’s been through._

_The little girl laid on the floor of her cell, eyes glazed over. They were surprised she survived such extreme levels of experimentation. Even she was surprised. But something was off about her. She didn’t know what yet. She still looked human. Her heart was still pumping. But she felt strangely…inhuman. Yui simply lay on the cold concrete floor, staring up at the ceiling, thinking about what those cruel bastards did._

_They chained her to an operating table and force fed her the disgusting food that had something infused into it. She would try to spit it out, but they wouldn’t let her. Needles were injected into almost every part of her body. She received whips and slices from a knife whenever she tried to scream or resist, which was many times. She wasn’t sure if she would be able to cope with everything that’s happened. All she could do was lay on her back. That is…until she heard yelling and panicky footsteps far down the hallway._

_“They found us!” she heard them shout. “Burn it all!”_

_Was she going to die so early? Maybe it was a blessing in disguise. She didn’t want to become a monster. She didn’t want anyone to experience what she did. Flames began to engulf the facility and Yui was left with no escape from it. At least that’s what she thought. She didn’t expect a pristinely dressed man to approach her cell as calmly as he did. She glared at him defiantly, believing him to be with the group of men that put her in this hell hole._

_“Hello,” the man said with a very gentlemanly tone, “and who might you be?”_

_“No one has ever wanted to know the name of their ‘precious experiment,’” Yui sneered in reply, wondering why this man wanted to know._

_The man only chuckled and knelt down, taking his tall hat off. “You misunderstand. I am not with the people that brought you here.” He wasn’t? Then why was he there? “I see that you have been through quite a lot. And I wish to take you far from here. I give you my word that I will not harm you. So, what do you say?” He reached out his hand to her carefully, as if she was a scared baby animal that slowly needed to give its trust._

_She wanted to live. That was a for sure thing. She slowly reached out and grabbed his hand, and for the first time since she was forced into her prison, she closed her eyes and took a peaceful nap._

_She didn’t know how much time had passed, but Yui opened her eyes to find herself on the man’s back. She turned around to see the scorching facility as it burned to the ground then turned back to look at the man who rescued her. “Who are you?”_

_“My name is Captain Hirato. I work for Circus, an organization that is working of taking down Kafka; the organization that owned that research facility.”_

_“I see…” Yui laid her head on his shoulder and sighed. “I just wish I could help people too…” She also wanted revenge on those evil bastards for what they did to her home, her parents, and her._

_“Well then, would you like to become part of the Circus family?”_

_The little blonde perked up. “Really, I can?”_

_“Of course you can, when you’re old enough. You can even call me Papa if you’d like.”_

_“I’d rather stick with Captain.”_

“Captain took me in like I was his own daughter. He scolded me when I misbehaved, praised my achievements, and taught me everything I know. Yogi and Tsukumo treated me like a sister. We all grew an unbreakable bond. Circus…will always be my true home.”

Gareki was shocked to say the least. This girl went through so much in such a short time. He thought she was just a stuck-up princess who believed she was so great since she was a prodigy or something like that. He never expected her story to be somewhat like his, only more…heart wrenching.

“Didn’t anyone ever tell you you’ll catch flies like that,” Yui commented, pointing to his slightly gaping mouth and giggling.

_Well that wasn’t cool_ , he thought to himself and closed his mouth immediately. “I just didn’t expect something like that, especially from you. I thought you were a teacher’s pet or something of the sort.”

The blonde smiled softly and leaned over, kissing his cheek. “There will be a lot of things you won’t expect while you’re here. Consider that a thank you for staying here.”

As they stared at each other under the stars, they were unaware of the eyes glaring at them with intense jealousy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Back to business! It's a little difficult rewriting some things since I used line breaks before. But I'm learning to manage.


	7. I'm Not a Monster

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They were going to find out sooner or later.

_What the hell did I just do?!_ Yui mentally screamed to herself, rolling side to side on her bed while clutching at her head. _Why wasn’t I able to keep my damn mouth shut?!_ She never, ever told people what really happened to her in the past. But with Gareki, it felt so natural. Like he was there solely to listen to her problems without giving out advice she never asked for. She eventually sat up and brought her knees to her chest, burying her face in them.

Yui was never the type to flat out talk about herself to anyone she met, especially involving her years before Circus. Normally, when someone would ask about how she joined the organization as young as she did, she would put on her cutest face and smoothly lie, said lies making her seem like a narcissist with a superiority complex. In reality, that was the perfect description for Kiichi. She remembered how the blue-haired girl shouted how much she didn’t like her from the very first day. She rambled on and on about becoming way better and she would never be less than, and she quoted, “a walking freak show”. Although she was immediately scolded by Captain Tsukitachi and Captain Hirato, those words sparked a hatred that withstood the test of time. The blonde dug her nails into her skin just thinking about it. She wasn’t some freakish animal that people could throw into a cage to show off. She refused to become one. She’d kill herself before the transformation could ever fully take over.

Is that why she gravitated towards Gareki? He saw her at her very worst, but didn’t flinch away from her once. Yes, he was shocked, but he wasn’t afraid. That was certain. Then again, he saw some pretty crazy shit during his time with Circus. Even Tsukumo and Yogi flinched back from her for a few days when the Varuga within took over, but they accepted her with time. Either way, she felt she could trust the older male with her secrets, her truths, her everything. A blush staining her cheeks, Yui shook her head to rid those kinds of thoughts.

“I-I-It’s not like that!” she cried to herself, her voice echoing of the walls of her room. “Ugh! Get it together Yui! You’re going to die soon anyway, so why get attached…?” She whispered the last part, once again retreating into herself like she would many times in the past. Yui still remembered when Captain Hirato would often contradict her whenever she said she was a monster in and out…

_A ten-year-old Yui stood in front of the full length mirror, her eyes showing no emotions. Tsukumo was passing by and asked Yui what she was doing, but got no reply. Figuring she was focusing on something important, she let Yui be and went to help the lamb robots. About half an hour later, Yogi was casually walking down the halls on his way to the control room to see what Yui was up to, but instead saw her in front of the mirror, opening her mouth wide with her fingers as if looking for something._

_“Yui, whatcha doing?” he asked, but received no response. Yogi pouted at being ignored and marched up to his little sister figure, covering her eyes with his hands. He was shocked a bit when the little blonde tensed up and shoved him away, hiding her face the entire time._

_“G-go away!” the little girl shouted and turned away from him. “Stop looking at me like that! I’m not a freak! Stop it! Stop it! STOP IT!”_

_Instantly, Yogi realized she was possibly having another one of her breakdowns and rushed to get Captain Hirato. Once he found him, he explained the situation and pulled the older gentleman to the room. However, what they found there broke their hearts a little. Yui was crumpled to the ground on her knees in front of a shattered mirror, the bleeding scratches on her hands hard to ignore as they hid her face from the world. Captain Hirato carefully approached Yui and knelt down beside her._

_“I’m a monster…” the little girl muttered, whimpering in the process. “Why am I even here…?”_

_The older man laid a hand a Yui’s shoulder, causing her to jolt and look up at him, her rose-colored eyes brimmed with tears. “You are none of those things,” he stated confidently. “You are a lovely girl who deserves all the good things life has to offer. Your heart is still pure despite the hardships you have faced so early on. Never let anyone tell you different.” His gloved hand gently wiped her tears away, his tender touch much like a father’s._

_“Yeah!” Yogi couldn’t help but chime in. “You’re super cute! Kiichi was just jealous of you!” That caused a tiny smile to appear on Yui’s face, finding a small sense of comfort in others seeing her at her weakest and not judging her. Maybe this once…she didn’t need to act so strong…_

Captain Hirato was the only one to really understand that she never had the chance to properly grow up given her circumstances. She always retreated into herself whenever she was reminded of those awful times. However, that didn’t deter him or Yogi and Tsukumo from making an effort to make her life better. The captain brought her to the outside world on certain jobs and allowed her to explore when the job was done. That’s how she discovered her love for music of all genres, finding a sense of calm when enveloped in each song. She learned how much she hated spicy foods and fell in love with strawberries or anything that used strawberry as an ingredient. Each discovery strengthened the bond between her and the members of Circus, seeing as they accompanied her one her little excursions after missions.

This also led up to the first time she felt she had become part of her family; her birthday. It was something she only told the captain when he asked about it, which caused him to realize that it was on her birthday her parents were killed and she’d rather not celebrate it. However, Captain Hirato ignored the request and threw her a little surprise party on airship two with Yogi and Tsukumo. She received headphones and a jacket that had Circus imprinted on the back. To top it all off, they made her a big strawberry shortcake to eat as much of as she wanted. That was the day she realized she could depend on others because they really did listen and care.

A sudden knock on her door brought her out of her thoughts, like always. “Yui,” a voice on the other end that she instantly recognized as Dr. Akari said, “it’s that time of day again.”

She didn’t have to be told twice. “I understand.” The blonde got off her bed and opened the door with a shit-eating grin, a snarky remark already in her head. “Geez, I just got back. You can cut me a little slack. Then again, you must be glad to have your favorite guinea pig back.”

Dr. Akari didn’t give any sort of reaction. “We are simply looking out for your well-being for as long as you are a part of Circus.”

“I know! I know! Take a joke once in a while~.” Yui didn’t always enjoy doing it, but she often put on a cheerful façade to bottle up whatever she was feeling, especially whenever she was reminded of her “condition”. She followed behind the doctor on the way to the examination room, still unaware of eyes watching her; this time they were a shining blue.

Gareki didn’t know what to make of Yui when they first met. She was like Tsubaki in a way; indistinguishable from the common mindset he had of categorizing people. She would’ve been considered an enemy when he first met her. She seemed like a predator more than the prey. However…he recalled their chat up on top of the ship. It was a moment she chose to show her vulnerability to him, someone who wasn’t a member of Circus by any real means. She was similar to Yogi and Tsukumo in the sense that she didn’t keep secrets from him. He was astonished by her absolute faith in Circus after they saved her from an eternal hell.

Out of the corner of his eye, he stopped two familiar faces; Dr. Akari followed by Yui. However, the latter had a blank expression on her face and her eyes lost their shine, completely different from every other encounter he’s had with her. He couldn’t help but grow curious of the situation. Slowly and quietly, he followed after them until they entered the medical room. Shaking his head slightly, he tried to think rationally again. _What am I even doing? What she does isn’t my business._ Then again, would it have to do with what happened to her that night? She was acting as if something had suddenly taken over in her head.

Gareki stood in place for a good five minutes, debating internally whether to go in there and see her or not. _Fuck it_ , he decided and made his way over to the medical room. As always, he entered without so much as a single knocked, only to be slightly shocked at what he say. The blonde sitting up, reading a book that appeared to be about aerodynamics. But that wasn’t what brought on the initial shock. It was the IV stuck into her arm, the package for which contained a pale blue liquid rather than the normally clear substance or blood IVs held.

Hearing his entry, she turned to the side and said a simple and detached, “Hey.” Then, she returned to her book.

The dark-haired teenager didn’t know how else to respond but say, “Hey” as well.

A long silence fell over the two as Gareki watched her flip through the pages as if she was the only one in the room. “I’m guessing you’re curious,” Yui suddenly piped up, relieving the tense atmosphere.

“No!” Gareki childishly protested, not using to someone reading him as well as she was, “I just—”

“Oi! What’s going on here?!” a new voice boomed as its owner stormed into the room. Ayato crossed his arms as he glared at the other guy in the room. “I smelled Chichinashi’s blood and I thought someone got here before me! Guess I was right!”

Yui sighed, seeing the redhead oujidere in the room. “I forgot you guys were still here. Guess you don’t have as much presence as you think. First of all, stop calling me that before I drop kick your ass into next Tuesday. Second, it was just time for my daily examination; no biggie.”

“Examination…?” both Gareki and Ayato questioned.

“I know you were there Ayato. I don’t know how much you heard, but I’ll be damned if I act as the naïve little girl you think you know everything about and cough up everything about the real me.” Her face and voice were back to being cold and calculating while looking at Ayato, only no one could tell there was effort going into keeping it up. “Gareki…I’d like you to stay for a while.”

With those last words, Ayato gave an annoyed sound and marched out of the medical room, furious at being talked down to by who he always believed was his prey. Gareki watched the redhead leave with a cold gaze before turning back to the girl on the bed. He pulled up a chair nearby and sat down, waiting for her to speak.

Yui sighed once more as she looked up at Gareki, her eyes dull as if she couldn’t see him even though he was sitting right there. “I’m turning into a Varuga,” she bluntly stated, catching the listener completely off guard. “Those bastards shoved all their drugs down my throat and into my blood. Circus developed neutralizers to help slow down the process. And it’s been working…but not completely. The Yui you saw that first night was only a glimpse of what I could become… But I intend to kill myself if I’m ever too far gone.” She curled her fists tightly, leaving imprints of her nails on her palms.

“What?!” Gareki couldn’t help but shout in disbelief, hearing a girl would even consider taking her own life. “You’re insane!”

“I’d rather die than hurt people I care about!” she shouted back at him, instantly silencing him. She looked away, bangs covering her eyes so he wouldn’t see the pain-filled expression in them. Slowly, she sat back down onto the bed, not realizing she had even stood up until the last minute. “I just...”

Gareki had a feeling she wanted to be left to herself at the moment. “I’ll leave you alone for a while.” However, as he began to rise out of his seat, something tightly gripped his sleeve.

“Wait!” He was shocked once more by this girl as her tough personality melted away and she seemed like a scared child needing a hand to hold. “Don’t go… Please…”

Giving in, slightly because she reminded him of Nai and his innocence at that moment, Gareki sat down on the bed as Yui gripped onto his sleeve tightly. He wondered at that moment what had frightened her to be like this. As he sat there for a good few minutes, a slight pressure on his shoulder made him turn to find the small blonde fast asleep on his shoulder. Deciding not to move and risk waking her, he stayed put for the rest of the day, slowly falling asleep and leaning his head against the wall.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oujidere = a person who holds themself in a prince-like status, even if they aren't actual royalty. They expect people to treat them in a much higher regard.


	8. Even I Don't Know How I Feel

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's so cute I want to vomit.

Today was finally the day; the day the Sakamakis left the airship once and for all. Of course, they would be doing a few favors for Circus given their abrupt discovery of the organization’s existence, but they’d be gone nonetheless. Yui internally celebrated at the mere thought. However, she was also a bit sad. She didn’t think she felt even a fraction of attachment to any of them. But she had to admit, moments of kindness really left an impression on her that a few of them weren’t all bad. Subaru tried to help her escape even though on her first day there he said she’d die if she tried to. Ayato showed small moments of vulnerability around her, like when she was trying to sleep and he decided to sleep in the bed with her. Shu basically didn’t cause her that much trouble, but that could’ve just been in his nature. He always warned her he was a dangerous creature, but rarely acted on his words.

The other three, on the other hand, annoyed the crap out of her. Kanato was just down right disturbing to her, with that stupid teddy bear she swore had a life of its own. He was a sweets addict and that crazed look in his eyes made her guard skyrocket to new heights. Reiji was the strict one out of the bunch. He could put Kiichi’s superiority complex a run for its money. She understood anyone would be a bit on the envious side if their older brother got everything without even trying while they had to work for everything, but he brought that envy to a whole new level of damn. He poisoned drinks and used unsuspecting victims as test subjects without a hint of remorse. That day she was subjected to his tests, she felt her rage build up at the memory of the research facility and the cruelty of Kafka. That was also the day she had to show the most resistance lest her Varuga side make a shocking appearance and her cover be blown instantly. Just thinking of Raito made her shiver in disgust. She did realize there were some deep scars with him regarding the topics of sex and love, but that certain didn’t lighten up her distaste whenever he was within five feet of her. His lewd comments made her want to gag and the placement of his hands in unwanted places forced her to suppress the urge to kick his teeth in.

Thankfully, she wouldn’t have to deal with them anymore and she could enjoy some peace on the airship once more. Maybe a nap would be nice. Her face suddenly heated up as what happened yesterday flashed in her head. She smacked her cheeks with her hands to try and make the blush go away.

_Yui slowly opened her eyes, squinting as the bright lights of the medical room were not a good complement to the darkness of sleep. Since when did I fall asleep so easily? Yui pondered to herself, getting a good look at her surroundings. Suddenly, she realized she “pillow” was shifting slightly. She almost didn’t realize. It was so comfy and warm where she was lying that it was almost difficult to get up. What shocked here out of her stupor was what felt like a hand near her hip. Rapidly blinking out the sleep from her eyes, Yui looked at her so-called pillow, which was actually a shoulder covered by a pink jacket. Her gaze travelled upward until it landed on a face; Gareki’s face to be exact. Blood rushed up to her cheeks as she stared for a few moments in shock. How did this all happen? She slowly remembered the events of a few hours ago._

_Again, she showed her weakness to Gareki, someone she barely even knew. Perhaps it was the similarity in their pasts that made her feel as if they were closer than they really were. If that was the case, she needed to snap out of whatever delusion she threw herself into. But deep down in her subconscious, she didn’t want it to end. A slight shifting from the person next to her snapped her out of her musings and she looked back up, only for her eyes to lock with widened, blue ones. Processing the situation at last, Yui leaped back about three feet, sitting cross-legged on the bed._

_“Sorry about that,” Yui apologized, staring down at her twiddling thumbs. “Your shoulder must be stiff.”_

_“I-It’s fine,” the new object of most of her attention stated, unable to cover up his stutters like she learned to do._

_“L-let me help you o-out,” the girl stuttered, cursing herself for doing so. She moved back closer to Gareki and laid her hands on his right shoulder. “J-just tell me if it hurts…” She slowed rolled the muscle around, getting every knot. Gareki slowly relaxed under the blonde’s touch, feeling extremely at peace. Her skillful hands located all the sore spots and pressed down on them with just the right amount of force to soothe them and not make them hurt more. Suddenly, the movements stopped and Gareki turned his head to see why she suddenly stopped her work. What he saw made his heart practically skip a beat. Yui was staring at him with an intense gaze, solely focused on him as if the world around her didn’t matter. Slowly, and he didn’t know how, they were leaning closer to each other, their faces mere inches apart._

_“I found you Gareki!” a chipper voice exclaimed, causing the two to jump back to opposite sides of the bed. Nai, oblivious to the situation, looked between the two and smiled. “What were you guys doing?”_

_“Nothing!” the two said in sync, both of their faces equally red._

Why was it that whenever she was lying on her bed, she had to go and remember those events? Maybe it was best this way because she was alone and no one could see her in such a confused and frustrated state of mind. She found that to be a blessing. Outside her door, she faintly heard the robot sheep saying something about preparing for the show. Yui never understood why the walls were designed so no one could hear what was inside the room, but those inside could hear everything outside.

“Oh yeah,” Yui mumbled, “We’re having a performance in the next town. I guess they’ll want me to perform in this one after so long.”

Getting up from sitting on her bed, the blonde went to open her closet and pushed everything aside to reach the back. She took a moment to gaze upon her costume. It brought back some pretty fond memories. When she was younger, she had to work behind the curtains before she could ever hope to become one of the performers. It took days of convincing Captain Hirato before he finally gave her a role to play in the performances and the pre-show parades. Over the years, she became a beloved character among the people, the audience demanding encores from her almost every time. Even if the preppy attitude she exhibited during those performances was face, the smile she bore at the end of every show was always genuine.

A knock echoed at Yui’s door and she closed the closet before going to enter it. There stood Captain Hirato himself, tipping his hat as to greet his daughter-figure. A soft smile made its way to the young girl’s face.

“Good afternoon Captain,” she said in a light tone. “Since I’m back, I’d like to perform once more.”

The captain chuckled lightly at her request. “I remember when you were up to my knees; you said you hated the flashy shows Circus put on.”

Yui crossed her arms defensively and pouted, a behavior she also gave the captain the exclusive privilege to see. “That was when I was younger and didn’t understand. Now, I want to be a part of the Circus family in every way I can.”

“You already are.” He smiled at her, receiving one in return. “You may perform with the rest, with your usual routine of course. Now if you’ll excuse me.” He bowed slightly and began walking away.

“Captain, wait!” Yui called, causing him to stop. “What was it you can here to talk to me about?”

“Ah yes, thank you for remaining me. I wanted to inform you those Sakamaki boys will be staying a while longer to help with the show.” In that instant, it felt like Yui’s hopes of her first performance back at Circus came crumbling down around her. “And also, Gareki and Nai will be joining us in the parade, by your station.” And then it was suddenly hot glued back together again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm still going! If you still don't know, I rated this E for some graphic scenes I'll be writing, but most of it is like a T rating.


	9. The Performance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yui is ready to give her first performance coming home.

Both Airship One and Airship One were filled with the chaos of preparation for the show that was going to take place in Grandora City, the place they’d be docking for supplies and a few minor jobs. As per usual, the performance was an apology to the town for having to stay clear off the streets during the dangerous jobs. The robot sheep were hard at work, helping the occupants of Airship Two with their preparations. They tended to be much less demanding than Kiichi on all occasions or as reluctant as Tsukitachi during the mornings. A couple of the sheep were fixing up Yui’s hair while she sat on the floor reading and gnawing on her thumbnail. She was just so goddamn frustrated. First, the captain tells her that those brothers would be staying until the end of the show. Then he adds in the “minor” detail of the boy she had growing feelings towards was going to be close by during the parade.

Yes, she just admitted it. Yui just admitted to feeling something towards Gareki. It wasn’t all that difficult really, at least to her. His eyes spoke to her more than his mouth did when they talked. She felt more ready to open up to him about things than she ever felt with anyone else. Her heart would beat slightly faster when she was around him and the thought of their almost kiss in the medical room yesterday made her want to squeal. But she wouldn’t since that wasn’t in her nature.

However, Yui wasn’t sure how to deal with these feelings. From the ways she taught herself, it wasn’t good to get attached to new people because she was planning on killing herself when the Varuga inside became too much to bear. Heaven knew when that day would come. It didn’t feeling like she would have a very long time with any sort of friend or lover. Leaving them behind so soon felt worse than death to her. So instead, she decided to keep all those emotions bottled up. Maybe a quick check-up of the control room would help ease her thoughts.

She said a quick thank you to the sheep as they finished their job and stood up, stretching her legs a bit. Taking a duffel bag, she neatly placed her costume inside of it and zipped it shut. She exited her room and headed for the control room to analyze a few things before she left the ship. Once there, Yui closed the door behind her and set her bag down gently as to not ruin the contents. Sitting down in the swivel chair, she stared at the massive holographic computer and set herself to work. She wrote lines after lines of code to properly strengthen any and all security measures. Reaching into her duffel bag, she pulled out a small bag of potato chips and munched on them as she worked. Unlike Yogi, Yui was allowed to eat in the control room because she was actually cleaned up after herself. Typing away at the keyboard, she noticed a few discrepancies in the system. Either someone was trying to break through security completely and weren’t getting in the progress they’d hoped, or someone was just toying with her. There were a few minor changes here and there that would’ve gone unnoticed by someone who didn’t keep a sharp eye out for every detail.

“So this is where you’ve been,” a smooth voice behind her, making her jolt slightly out of her seat.

“Subaru, what are you doing here?” Yui asked, turning her chair around to see his face.

“That’s an awfully relaxed greeting compared to these last few days,” the albino commented, crossing his arms.

“Believe it or not, you’re the only guy among your crazy family I can actually trust not to try and completely ‘dominate’ me for the lack of a better word. You put on an act to say you’re tough and unapproachable, but underneath, you’re nothing like that.”

“Sh-shut up!” She actually found it cute when he got all defensive. “It’s not like you aren’t doing the same thing.”

Yui’s eyes went cold when he heard her say that, building up her walls higher than ever, unwilling to let anyone in for even a minute. She never even noticed they were knocked down slightly recently. “Then you clearly don’t know me.” She shut everything off, grabbed her duffel bag, and slipped passed him out of the room, shutting the door behind him and her.

On the site where the parade would begin, Gareki was absolutely loathing it. He was standing in front of a giant float that looked like a jack-in-the-box and wearing the same outfit he was forced to wear the first time. The demon horns fit snuggly atop his messy black locks and the suit was a bit tighter than last time, but could still be worn perfectly. Scowling wasn’t helping anyone, but he did it anyway to show how annoyed he was with once again getting dragged into this situation. Nai smiled happily beside him, also in the same getup he wore the first time around. Luckily, Yogi was near the front in that stupid cat costume, so he could find relief there.

Once the line started moving, things were going fairly well. He heard a different tune behind him than the music blaring from the band. It sounded like a classic Pop Goes the Weasel all jack-in-the-boxes had. Gareki turned to notice the crank on the float was moving like a real toy. He nearly jumped out of his skin when the box popped open and a figure flied out, flipping in the air. The crowds cheered even louder than when the parade first started, staring at the float behind him. When the thing that came out of the box landed on the closed lid, he realized it was Yui in a jester outfit. And he had to fight back the blush and keep his eyes in their sockets. The bells attached to her classic jester-style blue and black hat tinkled freely with her every movement. He dress only reached down to her knees, the blue diamond pattern across her chest somehow making her assets look a little bigger. The black of the dress flared out above the ruffled blue tutu-like material at the bottom, blue pom-pom balls attached to the ends. The black gloves with blue stripes covered her delicate hands and the shoes she wore matched her gloves to a tee. Her blonde tresses were done up in wave pigtails for the occasion as well.

“Are you ready to have some fun?” Yui called out to the crowd as many begun to chant her name like she was the main attraction. He noticed that act in a heartbeat. That big grin wasn’t real. She was just playing her part. Was she not enjoying herself? What was the point of being in the show anyway if she wasn’t? “Oh, what’s this I spy~?” Before he knew what was happening, Yui gracefully landed right in front of him, walking backwards as he moved forward. “I spy with my little eye a demon that needs a little fun in his life~.” Her small hands grabbed hold on his larger ones as she smiled wider. “Dance with me!”

He couldn’t even give her an answer as she practically dragged him down the street, her hands holding tightly onto his. They moved in a dance style much different than someone would expect with the music playing for the entertainers. He found himself oddly enjoying her unpredictable nature. Then, Gareki noticed something that, at least to him, was major. Somewhere in their dance session, Yui’s fake performance-worthy smile shifted into a real smile that was filled with joy as she danced with him to the music that was playing in her head.

Even though the Circus crew was finding ways to have fun, a group of boys were hating the occasion. “Argh! I can’t believe we have to do this!” Ayato complained as he set another sealed box to the other side of the backstage area. “Stupid Circus making us do all this work! Ore-sama should not be required to do these stupid things!”

“We have no grounds to go against them,” Reiji pointed out, busied by sewing up rips and tears to costumes that received them during performances. “They could expose the vampire race to the world, already having samples of our unique blood. To make matters worse, Circus is known to be an investigation agency as well as a literal circus. So there is no information we have to threaten them with.”

Raito, hearing the complaints, decided to join the conversation. “Besides, if we did that, no doubt Bitch-chan would try to beat us up as she did that blonde boy for simply talking to her.” He blushed with a lewd expression on his face, remembering the night he saw Yui kick and punch Yogi; for what he didn’t know.

“Damn pervert.” Ayato ‘tch’ed and sat down on a bench.

Yui simply ignored the brothers as she prepared to go out and begin her act, the bells on her hat tinkling as she walked forward. She figured not to pay them any mind. They all stared at her as she strode out to perform with Tsukumo. The brothers peeked out from behind the curtain to watch her, gaping in awe. The two blondes flew and danced through the air effortlessly, occasionally grabbing onto one another to perform synchronized moves. Yui hooked her foot on her trapeze, hanging upside down as she went in a circle around the tent. The audience gasped in fascination and tried to reach out to her as she swiftly flew over their heads. She gave them an energetic wave as she passed. Yui jumped off her trapeze and joined Tsukumo on hers, hanging from the silk that was attached to it. The crowd roared for more, sparkles and stars bursting like fireworks in the air as Yui and Tsukumo took their final bows and entered into the backstage area.

“That was amazing!” Nai cheered from the audience stands. He was so happy Hirato offered him and Gareki two front row seats to the latest performance in Grandora town. “Yui and Tsukumo must really trust each other to do all those tricks! They both looked so happy.”

“Yeah…” Gareki muttered in response, not really paying attention.

“Gareki, is something wrong?” Nai asked, concerned. “You look like something’s troubling you.”

“It’s nothing!” There was just so much on his mind.

Then Nai innocently asked, “Is it about Yui?”

Gareki reeled back at the name. “What the hell makes you say that?!”

“Well, you started acting strange after you came out of the medical room last night. Did something happen between you and her? You didn’t catch fevers, did you? Your faces were really red.”

“Just shut up and watch the show!” The black-haired boy shoved a candy bar into the innocent boy’s mouth to shut him up, but he happily ate it anyway and continued to gaze in awe as the performers gave their all into the show. Gareki watched as well, seeing the act Yui put on had faded and real determination to be a part of the show took hold of her, making her shine radiantly underneath the spotlights. Not that he would ever say that out loud. He was lucky nothing could read his thoughts at the moment.

The show drew to a close and all the Circus members changed back into their casual clothes to wrap everything up. Some helped the audience exit and return safely since the crowd was larger than usual. Strangely, Yui was missing from the group. Some just shrugged their shoulders, knowing all too well how the blonde liked to venture off and do her own thing, and then always finding her way back. Some suggested searching for her. But Yogi and Tsukumo had a good idea where she went and suggested they leave her be for a while.

A music venue stood tall and proud in Grandora City, just a few blocks away from Circus’s performance. Yui had heard of it and decided to visit before getting back on the airship. She loved music with all her heart, learning to play different instruments. But she only grew better at playing the piano and guitar. Yui sat at the grand piano that stood center stage. Lifting the cover, she glanced at the piano keys, gently placing her fingers on them. She knew she was no match for Captain Hirato when it came to this gorgeous instrument. He was the one who taught her after all.

Lifting her hands slightly, Yui elegantly pressed down on the keys, composing a beautiful melody that was one of a kind. As she put all her attention on the piece, she failed to notice the figure that slipped in to the venue and sat at one of the seats in the front, captivated by the music. The sound of the piano filled the venue, bringing in a new atmosphere that previously didn’t exist. Slamming her fingers on the final keys to end her piece, Yui opened her eyes, unaware she had closed them at all. What startled her was the clapping that resonated a few moments after the sound had ended. She turned toward the seats to see the person who was clapping enthusiastically, a big smile planted on their face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I tried, okay?


	10. Unexpected Obsession

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Upon meeting someone she would never realize the connection to regarding her job, that person seems to grow a little too attached.

The figure stood up and continued to applaud, eye sparkling. “Bravo! That was amazing! It was so pretty!”

Yui couldn’t help but smile at the girl who looked at her with adoration for her music. Her pink hair was nicely braided to frame her child-like face. And her darker pink eyes could barely contain the emotions whirling inside her. Yui decided to entertain this girl and curtsied with a smile.

“Thank you very much,” she responded to the compliment. “And who are you, miss?”

“My name is Eliska! I doubt you’ll forget me because everyone talks about how lovely I am!”

“Well, my name is Yui. What is a sweet girl like you doing all alone out here?” Yui asked, ignoring Eliska’s statement that made her sound pretty egotistically.

“Oh! My grandfather has business in this city. But it was tragically boring, so he instructed me to go sightseeing nearby, taking a servant with me of course. But I ditched him once I heard your music! I just had to see where it came from! Play more for me!”

The girl’s enthusiasm was overwhelming, and the comment about a servant was a bit much. But she had time to kill before getting back on the airship, so she could entertain herself and the girl for a while longer. “Alright, but you’ll need to sit next to me for this next piece. I might add a little singing in there if you do.”

Eliska nodded happily and skipped up to the stage, taking a seat on the bench and staring and the piano keys as if expecting them to magically generate music. Her wide smile remained and Yui was tempted to worry if it was a permanent feature. She once again laid her fingers on the black and white keys, inhaling for a few moments before pressing her fingers down and singing the first note in a soft voice.

_You are the ocean’s grey waves._  
_Destined to seek life beyond the shore, just out of reach._  
_Yet the waters ever change, flowing like time._  
_The path is yours to climb._  
_In the white light, a hand reaches through._  
_A double-edge blade cuts your heart in two._  
_Waking dreams fade away._  
_Embrace the brand new day._

The echo of the final note was the only sound to fill the room. As the older girl looked up from the keys to the pink-haired girl, she noticed that her eyes were sparkling. “That’s a really beautiful song!” she exclaimed. “I want to sing it too!” Unfortunately, as she began to play once more, Eliska’s voice, for the lack of a better term, was not the most polished. She sang off key a few times and some of her words didn’t line up with the notes being played. Yui grit her teeth and reminded herself over and over in her head that yelling at a kid wouldn’t be worth it. Lucky for her, the song ended and Eliska was back in her own little world, excitedly commending herself on how great she was.

A buzzing in her boot made the blonde stand up from her seat. “I have to go now,” she said to Eliska and closed the lid to the piano.

“What? No!” the younger girl protested and stood up as well, grabbing onto Yui’s arm. “You can come back with me! You can play on a piano all the time and we can have fun! Much more fun than wherever you have to go!” The pinkette attempted and failed in vain to tug her new fixation with her.

“I’m sorry, Eliska,” Yui said, patting the girl’s head with her free hand. “But I have a duty I must fulfill. We might meet again, one day.” Eliska loosened her grip slightly at those words, allowing Yui to break free and wave goodbye and she left from the backstage exit, deep pink eyes watching her go.

“So this is where you ran off to,” Eliska’s servant, Uro’s, voice stated with a slight chuckle. “Whatever could you find so interesting in here?”

Eliska continued to look towards where the girl she had just met exited, not even sparing a second of a glance toward the older man. “Hey,” she piped up, still refusing to turn towards him. “You said I could have anything if I wanted it, right?”

“Why, of course. You deserve anything and everything.”

“Good. Because I want something more than anything I’ve ever wanted in my life.” Eliska hopped of the stage and strode towards the exit. She softly sang to herself on the way. “You are the ocean’s grey waves…”

* * *

Yui entered the airship and gave a smartass remark to the sheep before walking past them. “I’m back,” she said to no one in particular.

The blonde immediately made a beeline for her room, just wanting to take a quick nap before getting to work on any assignments. She smiled softly as she tread down the halls. Why wouldn’t she be? She was fairly quickly getting her life back. Her long period of absence had left an effect on her. The days at the mansion were even more depressing because her whole lifestyle flipped upside down. She was forced to abide by their rules, their standards, and their habits. Dress like this. Make me that. Give it now. It was just constant nagging and demanding. Slowly, her Varuga blood was more aggressive in trying to surface those days, but Yui managed to hold her down. She was never so aggressive before. So what made those days any different? Was it because of the vampire species in general? Either way, she didn’t want to dwell on it forever. Her life was finally getting back on track. And there were no near death experiences as of late to mess it up. That was something she was actually grateful for.

“Oh! Hey rookie!” Yui exclaimed, calling out to Gareki from across the corridor, striding her way closer. “Gotta tell ya, horns definitely suit you.” Her hand covered her mouth as a snicker escaped her lips.

“Yeah, laugh it up,” the black-haired boy said with irritation. “I didn’t want to be dragged into it anyway.”

“Before I forget, I’m going back into town to get some things and doing a quick sweep of the abandoned village nearby. I want you to come along as an extension of your training.”

“Do I have a choice?” Gareki raised an eyebrow, feeling he knew the answer to that already.

“Nope! I’ll see you at the ship’s entrance in the hour. Gotta check on something real quick.”

“Fine.” The two turned away to go in their respective directions.

“Gareki!” Nai’s voice called out, growing as the owner got closer. The younger boy smiled as he stopped right in front of his “caretaker,” for the lack of a better word. “I forgot to tell you! I heard something from far off, but it was a piano and it was really pretty. Can we go see that show when we come back here?”

Yui scurried away from the conversation, a hint of a blush on her face. She wasn’t used to compliment. She rushed to her room and quickly closed the door. She just couldn’t seem to push down the anticipation growing in the pit of their stomachs. The blush that stained Yui’s cheeks intensified as she thought of the fun time she and her trainee had in the last town. It filled her with joy on a level she never thought was possible. But she knew better than to hope. Her life was short. No good could come out of getting closer than she already was. Yui slapped her cheeks as she attempted to steal her heart and soul. This was for a purpose. Show Gareki how patrol works and how to gather specific parts with fixing his gun. She wasn’t going any farther. The denial was eating her alive.

* * *

“La! La! La! La~!” Eliska sung her own little tune, dancing around the flower patches in the garden with a huge smile. “In the white light, a hand reaches through~! A double-edge blade cuts your heart in two~!” She honestly kept up singing that song for hours.

Uro watched silently as the young lady twirled and sang around the large area. He was slightly aware of what had transpired while Eliska was out and about. It was quite easy to sense if she was ever in danger and even easier to “save” her. It was his job to make sure she didn’t die, as stated by her grandfather.

“But Lady Eliska,” Uro spoke, halting said girl’s singing as she turned to him, “I thought Karoku was the love of your life. You wanted his attention and love above all else.”

“Psh! Karoku’s old news to me now!” Eliska turned away and hugged herself, blushing. “If only you heard it. Her voice was so beautiful and charming. And the way she played that piano… I was swept off my feet!”

“Then I’m sure we could hire a professional to come by and–” the servant tried to reason before being cut off.

“No!” the pinkette protested, taking up a defensive position. “That’s not the same! I. Want. Her! Yui is way better than some stupid lady you can just hire to play for me! She was so pretty and sweet and warm. UGH! Don’t you get it?! I want her to be mine; all mine! Everyone but me is undeserving of her presence.” Eliska gasped, placing her hands over her heart. “Could it be…? Is this what it’s truly like…to be in love? I never heard of this kind of thing between two girls before… I have to see her again, to really know for sure!” The girl rushed back into the house, her mind set on her glorious plan. _Wait for me Yui,_ she thought with glee _. If this is real, I’ll have you yearning for me in no time!_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The song in this chapter is called Lost in Thoughts All Alone. Lizz Robinett on YouTube sings it so beautifully. I recommend you listen to it.  
> If you can tell where the song comes from, you are awesome!  
> And yes, I totally went there. I just wanted an enemy to be a love interest but in like an obsessed with her kind of way. Eliska and her personality fit the bill to a tea.


	11. Don't Go

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just when she thought things were looking up, whatever god was up there sure didn't like her very much.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I will admit that a partial reason for writing Eliska like this is so I can practice more for future Yui and Gareki chapters, because there will be.

Yui stared blankly at her cell phone, bored out of her mind. She had accidentally come 20 minutes early and was currently leaning against the wall by the meeting place, wondering how to pass the time. She gently tugged at the strap of her navy blue tank top when it began to slowly slip down her shoulder. No one would’ve noticed since she had an army jacket on. She was considering wearing her signature Circus jacket, but she didn’t want to draw too much attention so she just left it in her room. She wasn’t self-conscious or anything, but she had a strange urge to slightly pull her pleated black skirt down ever so slightly so it would reach her knees exactly. To try and entertain herself for a bit, Yui kept messing with the flaps on her brown suede boots that reached up to her calves, folding and unfolding them like a routine.

“Hey.” Yui looked up to see Gareki in a long blue jacket and the goggles that practically defined him atop his head.

“Yeah. Hi.” The blonde stood up and brushed some imaginary dust off the back of her skirt.

“Let’s get this over with.”

“Someone’s chipper,” Yui said, her words dripping with sarcasm as she followed the young man out of the ship and back into Grandora City. Her eyes were half-lidded as a frown settled on her face to match her tone.

“And your insults are getting worse by the minute,” Gareki sharply retorted, which earned him and light punch on the shoulder.

“Whatever rookie.” Their back and forth snide remarks continued as they headed to their first destination.

* * *

Eliska rummaged through her closet, tossing clothes around like rags. She’d just make the maids iron and store them away later. One occasion, she’d hold up a dress against her frame and stare at herself in her full length mirror before huffing and tossing to the floor, muttering how it wasn’t good enough. She had been doing that same routine for the past half hour.

“I need to look perfect for this,” Eliska mumbled to herself and suddenly gasped. “This is it!” she exclaimed and pulled out a baby blue dress with a large bow in the back. The white lace would accent her skin tone perfectly. She would be irresistible!

_The large ballroom was mostly empty and silent if not for the two occupying it. Yui sat at the piano bench, her fingers elegantly dancing across the instrument’s key to generate a romantic ambiance. Eliska sat a few feet away in a golden thrown-like chair, one ankle tucked under the other to show she was deserving of a title like “princess.” Her baby blue dress hugged her body and made her feel more confident in front of her partner. The pinkette’s eyes glimmered in fascination as the older blonde continued to play, eyes focused on the keys. Eliska yearned for those eyes to be focused solely on her, but still for the love-filled melody to play._

_“I wrote this for you,” Yui said, her lighter pink eyes moved up towards Eliska, but her fingers kept moving on the keys. “Come here,” she ordered and the younger girl complied, standing off her chair and padding her way over to the piano._

_The music suddenly stopped as Yui stood up and wrapped her arms around Eliska, moving her back toward the piano. An intense sound of keys slamming resonated in the room as she was seated on the piano. “Y-Yui! You animal! Here? What if someone sees?”_

_Yui smirked softly as she placed a finger over Eliska’s lips and leaned in close. “Let them see how deeply I long for you,” she whispered and leaned closer, Eliska’s pink lips already puckered._

“EEEEEEEP!” Eliska squealed as she blushed a deep red, her imagination running rampant for the third time that day. Her delirium could easily be seen as getting out of hand by just about anyone else. A few times, the maids had to ask if she was alright.

Before she met Karoku, she always got everything she ever wanted with the snap of her fingers. So when Karoku didn’t instantly want her as much as she wanted him, the thrill of the chase made her so determined to have him. But after meeting and spending time with Yui, she realized that’s all there was to her obsession with the blue-haired man; a thrill. With her new obsession, she felt warm and at ease, like nothing would ever hurt her if she stayed in that light Yui emanated. It made her excited and also a little scared. But she liked it. She wanted to trap that light and keep it for herself until the end of time. And she was going to get it one way or another.

“Time to get going.”

Eliska planned her escape thoroughly and began to execute it perfectly. She opened her large window that was positioned directly above one of the many trellises in the garden. There weren’t any flowers on it since it had recently been placed there, making it easier for her to escape without tearing her dress along the way. The pinkette carefully moved one foot out the window and onto the trellis, slowly flowing up with the other foot. She carefully closed the window behind her so no one would think she used the window to get out and remove the trellis to prevent her from possible future rendezvouses. _Ah, secret love is so romantic_ , Eliska thought to herself as she made her way down. As her feet touched the ground, she did a little victory dance in her head, proudly walking toward the gates. She had already told the driver about wanting to take a little trip and she could easily destroy his reputation should he not comply.

“Good evening Eliska.” Drat.

“Good evening to you too, Karoku,” Eliska said with a curtsy. Of course her old desire stood in her way.

“And what’s a lovely lady like you doing out so late?” Karoku asked with a grin that normally made Eliska melt, but not now.

“Well I’m secretly meeting someone very important. I have a feeling you two will meet super soon.” And then she added a little lie. “And a guard will be with me during the whole thing, so there’s no need to worry about me.” She instantly turned on her heel and left after those words, holding up her baby blue dress so it didn’t drag across the grass until her made it to the limo.

“So…someone else is the object of her affections,” Karoku muttered to himself with a smirk. “And that someone is around Nai quite often… How interesting…”

* * *

An awkward silence hung in the tense air around the gunners. They would occasionally glance in each other’s direction, only to quickly look away if either of them had been even remotely caught. Yui tried her best to take her thoughts to somewhere other than the man beside her. She settled on contemplating about Nai for a while. The little rugrat was always near Gareki at all times. He was like a cute little pet you’d coddle or the younger brother that relied on you for everything. When the Healer told her he was literally part animal, she heartily laughed and asked if he developed a good sense of humor while she was gone. And in response, she received a bop on the head. But now, she could kind of see it.

Recently, Yui had gotten to know Nai when she wasn’t doing her job or chilling in her room, both done in total solitude. He was extremely curious and asked about a multitude of things. Whenever she was snacking, he’d ask what she was eating and if he could have a bite. She’d just slide whatever was left over to him, his crimson eyes sparkling as he munched away at her leftovers. He’d ask about her work, despite most of it being classified. The big wigs would have her head (quite literally) if she said so much as a peep. She wasn’t normally the type to do so, but whenever Nai said he felt sleepy, Yui would let him rest his head on her lap and she’d sometimes unconsciously pet his hair. He was just so innocent. It was impossible to imagine he would do anything less than innocent to her. With what little time they had together, Nai became like a little brother to her.

A poking in her side made Yui snap back to reality, gazing up at the one who did the action. “You were spacing out,” Gareki said. “I was saying I want to check that place out real quick. Alone.”

The small blonde glanced at where he was pointed and glared at the place. It wasn’t necessary bad. She just didn’t like the vibe of it. Why did he want to go it that place anyway? The window displays were filled with pink and glitter. Hell, the name of the store was obnoxiously girly. She inwardly cringed just trying to read it. But on a good note, she saw something in the window that Tsukumo might like, so she’d probably go back for it later.

“Um…okay? I’ll just be over here.” She pointed to the fountain in the center of the plaza and Gareki simply nodded, heading to his intended destination. Yui sat at the bench in front of the fountain and watched with skepticism as her trainee strode to the girly store and…went into the shop next to it! The girl couldn’t help but face palm herself at her stupid assumption. From her angle, her directions were off and she felt pretty dumb about it. Of course he wouldn’t go into a stupid girly place. The store he actually went to appeared to be like a mechanic shop.

Yui tapped her foot in boredom, laying her cheek on her open palm as her elbow softly dug into her thigh. The tapping continued rhythmically as lyrics just popped in her head. “ _I followed my heart into the fire_ ,” she sang, “ _Got burned, got broken down by desire. I tried, I tried, but the smoke in my eyes left me blurry; blurry and blind_ …”

She thought to herself for a second. That wasn’t so bad, even if it came from nowhere. Oh well, she wasn’t a songwriter. It was most likely never gonna get heard, so why bother remembering it? Damn. She never noticed how pessimistic she could be when something was good for her. Yui looked up at the starry night sky. To her, all those stars were brighter than the sun. Then again, the Sun was just one big star, right? She always did like the night and how the stars could serve as a guidance system.

“You’re spacing out a lot,” the person who stepped in front of her said. Yui didn’t need to look to see who it belonged to. So she didn’t.

“And?” she asked rhetorically, not expecting or even wanting a response.

Something was seemingly shoved in her face, forcing Yui to look away from the starry sky. In front of her was a small brown bag. Something one would expect pastries to be held in. But no smell indicated sweets or baked goods.

“For you,” Gareki said, looking away from her face. “Just take it.”

Yui simply nodded and took the bag, slowly opening it. She gaped a bit at what she found. It was a choker and several decorative buttons. It wasn’t the items themselves that were all within her taste; her real taste in things. By what she wore on a regular basis, people just assume she was into the death and destruction, all dark color stuff. But in truth, Yui liked things with a tasteful splash of bright color. Sure, she liked dark colors, mostly to compliment her pale skin tone. But she liked to have super colorful things too; light pinks and blues, or even some neon colors.

She took the objects out of the bag and a tiny smile formed on her face. “Thank you,” she whispered. Yui clipped the choker one around her neck and pinned the buttons onto the jacket she was wearing.

“It’s nothing,” Gareki said, turning his head away to hide the fact his face was slightly burning after seeing her smile so warmly. It was a pleasant change from her usual cold attitude.

“Well, we should get going.” Yui stood up and dusted off her skirt. “I need to check the abandoned town not far from here. There have been odd readings surrounding it.”

“Fine by me,” Gareki responded and starting taking steps forward, Yui following closely behind.

She spent a few seconds staring downward at his hand. Gathering her courage, she reached out her hand to grab his. However, she chickened out at the last minute and wrapped her pinky around his.

“W-what are you doing?!” Gareki spluttered as he stopped dead in his tracks, getting uncharacteristically flustered.

“It’s just an experiment!” Yui retorted, equally embarrassed, both at their joined fingers and her failure to show bravery in the situation.

“Whatever…” Gareki let the subject go and continued walking.

Both had hints of blushes on their faces. Yui covered her mouth with her free hand to hide her content smile. _Maybe_ , she thought, _I can have_ _this moment; just this one moment_. She picked up her pace so she could tread alongside him, the awkward silence that was present before easing into a comfortable one.

* * *

“How dare that wretched boy!”

Eliska was fuming. She bunched the material of her dress in his hands as she watched on in anger from around a corner, spying on the two at the fountain. She had been so excited, asking around town if they had seen a young blonde woman with beautiful pink eyes around. She squealed with joy when a woman in her 30's said she had seen one sitting at the fountain in the center of town. Eliska wasted no time in rushing there, exciting to see the girl that was on her mind.

But she realized there was a hitch in her plan when she spotted Yui and screeched to a halt, ducking behind a corner to observe the event occurring before her eyes. Yui was with a boy. And he was handing something to her. _That lowly man is just vying for her attention_ , Eliska mentally raged as she watched. Everything that was unfolding in reality was completely different than as it was in Eliska’s head. In her mind, the boy was making unnecessary advances and blushing from simply looking at Yui. He was a dirty scoundrel forcing himself on a precious goddess. As their lips moved in conversation, Eliska presumed Yui was trying to turn the man down, but he was either having none of it or was completely oblivious. He grabbed Yui and starting walking off with her. She looked to be in pain, but stayed out of politeness. _She’s always so considerate_.

“I found you, Eliska.” Uro appeared behind her, making her jump in surprise.

“Don’t scare me like that!” Eliska whisper-yelled at her servant. “Never mind that! I need you to retrieve that girl,” she pointed to Yui, who was almost out of sight, “and bring her back to the mansion!”

Uro bowed without a moment of hesitation, a hidden smirk adorning his face. “Consider it done. I’ll have someone go and retrieve her. Now, shall we head home?”

* * *

Yui searched through piles of rubble for even a scrap of a clue. She had asked Gareki to search the empty houses, but he told her he couldn’t find a thing. Maybe this place wasn’t taken down by Varuga methods. Either that or the ones who caused the tragic event were very thorough in destroying evidence. The blonde sighed once more and rubbed her temples as a headache began to form. She was hoping for some progress, but apparently that was too much to ask.

“Okay, let’s just head ba–” Yui’s words were caught in throat as she turned to look at who she was speaking to.

It was like something out of a cliché romance movie or dating sim. The moonlight poured down at just the right angles, illuminating Gareki’s features perfectly with the gently rays. The tousled black hair looked to have a perfect shine to it that had nothing to do with grease. His stormy blue eyes twinkled from the reflection of the stars above. The bored look on his face was far from a deterrent. Yui’s face burned and her mouth was close to gaping like a fish’s. She shook her head for a moment. But then a realization hit her. They were there, together and alone. Only the moon would be their witness. Captain told her to live in the now, to not stay hiding because of the past. Maybe…maybe now was the time to start.

“H-hey, Gareki,” Yui began, taking a gulp as she tried to form words, “I, uh…"

“There you are~” a small chorus of high-pitched voices and one low-toned voice rang out, causing Yui and Gareki focus to be directed wherever the voices were coming from. All they could see were slime-like shadows crawling towards them at a scary fast pace. “We got you!” One unexpectedly lunged toward them.

“No!” A cry echoed through the still night as blood splattered on the ground.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What? You expected something in the notes? Head to the next chapter. :P  
> I found out the way to add lines to cut between scenes, so I'll be adding those to past and future chapters from now on.


	12. I'm Right Here

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> She would gladly take the risks, consequences and all, if it meant saving someone important.

It felt like everything was playing in slow motion. Yui watched in horror as Gareki pushed her out of the way of the oncoming Varuga that was attempting to capture her. The gash in his side caused the surrounding dirt to become stained with his crimson blood. She sat up on the ground, frozen in shock.

“N…no!” Yui cried out and crawled quickly over to Gareki. Tears flowed freely down her cheeks as she leaned down to hear his heartbeat. It was weakening by the second. Yui’s sherbet pink eyes burned with a fire hotter than the sun as she turned her head towards the Varugas that attacked them. “You…” Her voice held a dangerous edge as she stood up, not bothering to brush the dirt and gravel off her knees. “I’ll make sure you pay!” Pulling out the gun from the halter hidden in her jacket, she pointed it at her target; her head. “Please…help me…”

“ _It sounds fun_ ~” a voice in her mind whispered before she pulled the trigger and slumped over, still steady on her feet. A twisted grin grew on her face as her eyes turned gold when she lifted her head. “ _Looks like she desperately needs me_.” Yui’s Varuga self, Kyouki, rushed towards the other Varugas. Blood splashed on her jacket as Kyouki cut the enemies with her extended nails.

“You bitch!” one of them yelled and lunged at the golden-eyed girl.

All she did was stand there with a sick smile, before plunging the sword Yui had hid away right into the Varuga’s weak spot. She threw her victim back, sending it flying off the sword and to the ground in a bloody heap. “ _How pathetic_ ,” Kyouki mocked as she leap up towards the horde of beast-form Varuga swarming her way. The deadly girl cut through them left and right, dicing them up without a second of hesitation. She performed multiple gymnastics moves that Yui would normally use in both combat and performances. She flipped and jumped with both grace and skill, cutting up her enemies with each fluent movement. Kyouki wasn’t able to use the ability Circus gave Yui, as it needed the user’s frequency for it to work. Unfortunately, he and Yui’s wavelengths were slightly different. So she settled for using the sword and gun, taking no damage from the oncoming Varugas’ attacks. Her twisted laughter echoed through the barren area as she thoroughly enjoyed the massive bloodshed she had caused.

When the job was done, Kyouki landed on the ground, she glanced over at Gareki. She stared at him for some time before letting out a sigh. She could feel Yui breaking through the inner cage of her mind Kyouki always put her in to stay stable when taking over. She was letting her curiosity grow. She just looked up at the night sky, closed her eyes, and let Yui gain back control.

Yui’s eyes opened back up, turned back to their normal pink color, and they widened upon processing the situation “Gareki!” Yui ran over to him and kneeled at his place. “Please don’t go…” she whispered sadly, “Please don’t take something I want to cherish away…” The blonde touched their foreheads together, feeling his ragged breathing on her lips. She tore off her a large piece of her tank top, so now it only covered down to a few inches below her breasts, and applied to the cloth to the wound to stop his bleeding, if only for a little bit. “Survive Gareki. I need you here with me. I can’t lose you now…” Salty tears flowed down her cheeks and chin, some of them dripping onto Gareki’s paling face. She slowly lowered down and met his lips with hers, hoping for even a moment that her healing abilities would transfer over to him.

* * *

Gareki woke with a start. But instead of seeing the stars and moon from before he had passed out, he saw a white ceiling. He lifted his hand to feel bandages wrapped around his torso. Even then, simply lifting his arm felt painful. His memory was foggy, but before he lost consciousness, he thought he heard Yui say something. Gareki groaned as he touched his head, trying to come up with even a scrap of a memory. He looked around to realize he was in the medical room on the second airship. He then noticed a bed on the other side of the room with crinkled sheets and an oxygen machine close by. The sheets had a few bloodstains on it, but the room didn’t smell of death so he guessed the person was still alive.

Gareki grabbed his head when images suddenly flashed through his head. Yui was above him, yelling something and crying. He was then in the medical room and Yui was in the bed next to him, unconscious, while a group of nurses worked tirelessly to check her vitals. They said something about another episode. Yui slowly opened her eyes and looked at him, then slowly rose out of her bed and took the oxygen mask off. Then, it all went black.

The young man woke up not even five minutes later and turned to see the other bed with blood on it still empty. He groaned and swung his legs over the mattress, slowly standing up so his injuries wouldn’t hurt as much. Gareki left the room and followed faint scratch marks along the walls. They started and stopped at random intervals but they all lead in one direction. Going along the trail, he ended up in a room with hundreds of mechanisms and moving gears everywhere. From his experience and educated guess, he assumed it was a mechanic’s room or at least the place where Circus made all their devices.

He heard slight clanking and the twisting of bolts. The young man decided to investigate and came across and impressive motorcycle. It was navy blue in color, almost looking a sleek black in the dim lights of the room. Its seat looked comfortable, the black leather shining with an inviting gleam. It was fairly big in size, and he swore it had a face on the front. Or maybe that was just a trick of the mind. Looking down, he noticed a feminine form. The style of clothes and bandages on the legs left no doubt that it was definitely Yui. Her face was hidden in the underside of the bike as she diligently worked. Apparently she was so focused she didn’t even hear him come in.

“Yui,” Gareki suddenly said.

“Wha—” Yui was startled by the sudden noise and lifted her head quickly out of fright and to get a good look at the one who dared scare her. Unfortunately, she had forgotten about the massive motorcycle above her and banged her forehead, letting out a pained “Aaargh!” Gareki was about to snicker, until she growled and said, “Don’t you dare laugh!” Yui moved out from under the motorcycle and sat up properly to look up at him. “So what do you want?”

He pointed to the bandages on her legs, but looked her dead in the eye. “Shouldn’t you be in bed resting or something?”

“I’m fine.” Yui left no room for argument and she continued with her work, checking the front of the motorcycle this time. She flinched when she bent down and grabbed her knee, but ignored the “I told you so” look Gareki gave her afterwards. “I…I’m not fragile. I’m strong. It’s how I survive…” The words spilled out without her really thinking about them. Her eyes widened in shock and she slapped her hand over her mouth so she wouldn’t say anything else.

“What do you mean?” Gareki asked. “I thought they didn’t force you into anything.”

“They don’t!” Yui shouted defensively. Her eyes widened a bit at her loss of composure and slowly tried to regain it. “I just hate feeling useless. If I’m useless, I’m not needed. That’s why I’m not just sitting around. I can work just fine.” As she said that, Yui made a move to stand up. Unfortunately, her legs gave out under her and she ended up falling forward.

“Hey!” Gareki suddenly moved forward and caught the injured Yui in his arms.

He was right in front of her, so her face landed onto his chest. She blushed from embarrassment and looked up to apologize, or at least say she was fine again. But when their widened eyes met, a silence washed over them. It wasn’t awkward, but comfortable with a tiny hint of tenseness.

“I can’t take this anymore,” Yui declared and leaned up, connecting her lips to Gareki’s. He eyes closed as she moved her hands to his back, lightly gripping his jacket.

Gareki’s mind suddenly shut off from the sudden action. He decided in that moment to listen to his instincts rather than his head and began to return the kiss. He brought a gloved hand to the back of her neck, pulling her head closer to deepen the kiss. Sparks flew in Yui’s mind as she miraculously managed to hold back a gasp. The person she held such strong affections for was kissing her back of all things! She was absolutely ecstatic! She shifted her weight so her body leaned into his.

A bared audible splash brought Yui back to reality, but she didn’t back away or do anything about it. Another splash echoed, but it appeared only Yui noticed it. The sensation of wetness on her cheeks made her realized she was crying. For what reason, she was unsure. But all that she knew was that she didn’t want to let Gareki go. The unspoken thing between them was still there, but it felt like a significant amount of tension was lifted.

A figure stood in the doorway and smiled softly at the two. She silently closed the door to give them some privacy. “About time,” Iva whispered, “Please, Yui, don’t push happiness away anymore.”

* * *

Meanwhile, in the Smoky Mansion, Eliska was positively fuming. She gave them one job; one, simple job! She specifically told Uro to bring Yui to the mansion so they could finally be together. And what does she hear? They were unsuccessful. Uro told her that the people he sent to retrieve her never return and he feared that the girl she was so infatuated with found out and silenced them But Eliska refused to believe it. Yui was not that kind of person, she just knew it. Yui was a happy and warm person. Her sparkling smile radiated with pure kindness. Her passion for the piano was evident, as if she wanted nothing else than to play it for as long as she possibly could. Her Yui would _never_ do such cruel things!

"If you want something done," Eliska growled, glaring into her vanity mirror as she brushed her hair, "you need to do it yourself." She stood up, her chair screeching as it was suddenly shoved back and fell to the wooden floor. "I will not accept failure." She stormed out of her room with determination burning in her eyes. She was still seething with anger at the incompetence of her grandfather's underlings and there was only one way to remedy that.

"You!" she shouted when she spotted two familiar men she had seen one time talking to Uro. It appeared they worked for him. That meant, through association, they worked for her.

"Oh, hey little miss," the redhead said and waved, not once looking up from the game he was playing.

"Hello the–" the blue-haired man next to him enthusiastically said until a list was shoved in his face. "Wha…?" Her expression was filled with confused.

"This is an order!" Eliska declared, seriousness emanating from her voice. "You have two hours. Get me all the things on this list." Her expression turned sadistic with her next words, a shadow covering her eyes to darken them. "If you don't, I'll tell Uro you were being mean to me."

That seemed to scare the men enough. The blue-haired one grabbed the list and the two ran out in a panic. On the list was nothing too specific. She had some digging to do, after all. From Yui's style of clothes, Eliska assumed she could've been a model. Her voice gave her the idea she could've been a singer. So one the list was written the details she knew about Yui, the kind of items Yui's name might appear on, and of course her crush's name. that last one needed to be made extra clear. If she learned more about Yui's passions and position in society, Eliska would have more things to talk about when Yui finally arrived at the mansion. Failure wasn't an option.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yup. The relationship's going get pretty obvious from here on out. It'll be tough to remove stuff from chapters so that FF won't try to shut me down while keeping all content on here, but I'll manage.


	13. Birthday Special

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yui's birthday is celebrated in various ways across various timelines.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so my birthday was a few months ago, but I officially posted this chapter on FF on my actual birthday.  
> Keep in mind, only the first out of these four is placed in the timeline my story is in. Consider the first one a memory and the other alternate endings.

Second Ship Party

Yui groaned as the up and down movement of her bed shook her awake. She rubbed her eyes so they’d better adjust to the light. She then glared up at the one who was jumping on her bed, mostly likely in an attempt to rouse her awake. How he managed to get in Yui was a bit confused on.

“Yogi…” the younger blonde said in a low and dangerous voice, “Get off my bed. Now.”

“Yay!” Yogi cheered, completely oblivious to the death glare he was receiving from the girl he recognized as a younger sister. “You’re finally awake! Today is a super special day! Do you know why?”

“Nope,” she bluntly replied, “Now go away.” Admittedly, she almost laughed when she saw Yogi’s jaw go slack. She even imagined it literally hitting the floor for a second and internally laughed.

“Whaaaat?!” Yogi was in complete shock. How could a person possibly forget?! “It’s your birthday, Yui! Come on! You had to have remembered!”

“Oh yeah,” the girl sleepily said in remembrance, trying to smooth out her bed head. “I forgot. I stopped celebrating it a long time ago. It’s not big whoop.”

The older blonde dramatically gasped as his expression turned to one of utter horror. “You’re serious?! This is in fact a _huge_ whoop! A birthday is supposed to be a day filled with smiles and presents! It’s supposed to be a special day that only comes once a year!”

“So?” Yui asked, still not seeing what he was trying to get at.

“Soooo, it’s not a day that can be skipped over!” Yogi announced, waving his hands theatrically. “I’m going to make sure you have a birthday you’ll never forget!” And with those words, he hopped off her bed and ran out. Yui groaned in frustration. She really didn’t understand Yogi.

Later that day, Yui roamed the halls of the airship. But something felt off. During her go-arounds, she didn’t spot a single person. At first, she brushed it off. Then she began to worry if there was a mission she hadn’t been made aware of. Finally, she came to the conclusion Yogi had something to do with the odd state of things.

She twirled a lock of blonde hair around her finger, contemplating possible reasons why Yogi was even making a big deal of her birthday in the first place. She couldn’t bring herself to understand. Maybe it was because she remembered celebrating in once in her currently 8 years of living. She was 3 then. But then the tragedy occurred and the memory was distance.

Yui walked to the sitting room, hoping to find a sheep and ask it to make her some tea or anything to calm her thoughts. When she got there, the room was pitch black. It was odd considering power should be circulating to all parts of the ship. Yui went to the generator room to try and fix the situation. She was left in a confused state when she saw that the power to the area was in fact on. Hoping the place would be lit, she went back to the room.

When she reentered, she was met with collective shouts of “Surprise!” Yui gasped as she looked around. The sitting room was decorated with an array of colorful party supplies. All the members of the second airship were standing around a table that had a vast amount of delectable dishes set on it. All the dishes were favorites of hers, in fact.

“What is all this?” Yui asked, her sherbet pink eyes still wide from the initial surprise.

“It’s a surprise party for _you_ , silly!” Iva stated with a big smile and ran over to hug Yui tightly. “Yogi told us how you hadn’t celebrated you birthday before; you poor thing!”

Tsukumo approached Yui and offered a kind-hearted smile. “He told us his plan to make this day special and we all happily pitched in. We all were excited to make today memorable for you.”

The young blonde in Iva’s arms blushed with embarrassment and shyness. “You guys did that…for me?”

“Why, of course,” Hirato said like it was fact, “You are part of the family after all.”

“Family…” Yui’s bangs covered her eyes, even though her head was facing straight away. A smile slowly grew of her lips as a tear fell from her cheeks. “Thank you. Thank you so much.”

“Now’s not the time for tears!” Yogi exclaimed. “Let’s dig in and you can open your presents! I’m sure you’ll love what I got you!”

Yui happily nodded and joined in on the celebration. She excited took a bite out of all the food, savoring the taste of some of her all-time favorite foods. She even teased Yogi, who flushed with pure embarrassment, about how overly excited he was being at what was supposed to be her party. “You sure you’re not trying to live through me?” she teased now and again with a teasing smile. As usual, Yogi spluttered every time, denying her claims.

One by one, the crew members gave her presents to unwrap. Yui couldn’t hold back a giggle when Tsukumo handed her her present. The polka dot wrapping paper was clumsily put together and it was topped off with a messily tied bow. She always knew that, despite popular belief, Tsukumo wasn’t all that dexterous with her hands. But she still appreciated that the older blonde went so far just to make her feel special. Yui tore the paper off the box and opened the lid. She thanked Tsukumo, holding up the cute light pink top with a smile.

Next, Iva gave her a large and elegantly decorated gift box. It was a bit heavy to Yui set it on the table and took off the lid. It was a beautiful black jewelry box for all the trinkets she owed. She was also pleasantly surprised to find a couple bracelets and necklaces inside of it already. When Yui smiled at Iva and thanked her, she was caught in the older woman’s embrace not even two seconds afterward.

“L-let go!” Yui complained, to which Iva obeyed with a big grin.

Yogi’s present was next. She glanced to the side to give him a weary look when she saw the kitty cat wrapping paper. But he promised she would like it. With a doubtful expression, Yui opened her gift. She gasped when she peered inside and saw a plush toy. It was a black rabbit with floppy eyes and a red heart on one eye. A blush spread across Yui’s face as she continued to stare at the adorable stuffed animal. She mumbled a quiet thank you to Yogi, closing the box back up to keep the gift safe. He tried to give her a hug too, but she shoved him away with embarrassment.

Lastly, Hirato gave Yui a simple gift bag stuffed with tissue paper. She took the paper out and pulled out wireless headphones and an MP3 player. She excitedly put the headphones on and turned on the MP3. She was surprised to find some good music already on it. Yui smiled gratefully at Hirato and thanked him happily for the gift.

The robot sheep then brought in a huge strawberry shortcake for the big dessert. Strawberries were Yui’s absolute favorite food. She looked around with a smile. They really had paid attention over the years she spent at Circus. She closed her eyes and thought for a moment while the people around her sang “Happy Birthday” to her. The birthday girl thought about the wish she wanted to make. She really wasn’t a materialistic person. The people around her had taught her the value of human connections over all else. Her only wish was that she could remain a part of the Circus family forever. She always wanted to have Tsukumo and Iva as her helpful and awe-inspiring sisters. She always wanted to have Yogi as the overly hyper older brother that was just too easy to mess with. She always wanted Captain Hirato to be her guardian and support. And with that final thought, she blew out her candles.

* * *

Gift from Someone Special

Yui walked through the ship’s corridors, headphones snug atop her head as rock music blasted from them. She took out her phone to change the song when a number caught her eye. _Oh yeah_ , Yui thought, stopping for a second in the hallway, _I forgot today was my birthday_. _Oh well_. She pocketed her phone after skipping ahead to the next song and began walking once again. Closing her eyes to focus on the bed, Yui didn’t notice the person that was running from around the corner and accidentally bumped into her. Yui opened her eyes to see none other than Nai, sitting flat on his butt after taking a tumble.

“Here,” she said, bending down and holding out a hand for him.

He smiled gratefully and took it, allowing Yui to help him back onto his feet. “Thank you Yui-chan.”

“It’s no problem.” Before she could walk off, though, Nai called to her and she turned around.

“You forgot this.” The young boy held out a cell phone to her and she thanked him, grabbed it. “By the way, is it your birthday today?”

The blonde tilted her head in confusion. “How did you know that?”

Nai pointed to Yui’s phone. “It says so right there.”

Okay, now she was really confused. She definitely didn’t remember putting her birth date anywhere on her phone. She looked down to see the calendar open and grimaced as a little note on the current date read “Yui’s Birthday” with a plethora or heart and celebration emojis. _Yogi_ , Yui mentally yelled. She was going to murder him after she found out how he could’ve possibly made it onto her phone without her knowing. The girl huffed out a sigh and nodded. “Yes it is, but I don’t care much about it.”

“But I thought birthdays were special.”

Ugh. Nai was just too innocent that Yui couldn’t bring herself to slam the hammer of some harsh reality onto him. “Well, they can be. Sometimes, it just having the right people around or receiving something nice to make it feel special. I’ve never really gotten any of that, so I stopped making a fuss.”

“I see,” Nai said, nodding in understanding. He then walked in the opposite direction Yui was headed and she walked to her destination as well.

After dinner, Yui sat at the top of the airship to watch the sun as it set. She observed the many beautiful colors the scene painted the sky. The sound of the hatch opening caught her attention. She turned her eyes away from the sunset to see Gareki coming out from the hatch.

“Hey,” he simply greeted, his gaze turned away from her. Yui thought it was her imagination, but it looked like he was embarrassed about something. “Here.” He tossed something small in Yui’s direction and she caught it. It was a tiny wrapped present that fit in the palm of her hand. She looked back at him to ask what it was even for, but she was surprised to see he wasn’t even looking her way now. It looked like he was hiding his face. “W-well? Open it.”

The Circus agent shrugged and pulled at the yellow ribbon to undo it and opened the box. Okay, now she was just upset. There wasn’t a damn thing in the box! It was empty! She turned it upside down and shook it, wondering if it was possibly hidden in a compartment or something to trick her. After her attempt, her anger only grew. This was bull!

“What gives?!” she cried in frustration. “It’s emp—mph!” She didn’t even get to finish as Gareki was suddenly close to her, his lips on hers. Yui couldn’t move. She was shocked into place.

He backed away, his cheeks stained red with embarrassment. “Th-there. Birthdays come with something you wouldn’t expect, right?.” Gareki turned redder with each word, the blush reaching his ears. “Anyway…this is the real gift.” He looked away once again, holding out a pair of goggles that looks familiar. “You said your old ones broke… So, happy birthday or whatever.”

Yui gasped quietly as she took the goggles into her hands. She slowly put them on and set them over her eyes. The red tint from the lenses made the world around her look so different. “Thanks,” she managed to say once she found her voice, setting her gift atop her head.

“It wasn’t a big deal,” the black-haired teen replied, looking out at the sun just as she had a few minutes prior.

Yui got up to make her exit. But before heading down the open hatch, she smiled softly and whispered. “I meant thanks for both gifts.” Then she was gone. As Yui made her way back to her room, she gently touched her lips as they stretched into a giddy smile. She had never been so happy before, especially on her birthday of all days.

A familiar head of white hair bound toward her and gave her a hug. “Happy birthday, Yui-chan!” Nai cheered, looking up at Yui with an innocent smile. “That’s my gift to you! You’re very warm.” She couldn’t help but smile. She knew what the boy meant by warm and she took that in stride. “Are you okay?” Nai asked. “Your face is red. You don’t have a fever, right?”

Yui sucked in a breath and covered her face. “I’m alright, really.” She nervously smiled and sidestepped Nai to head down the hall. “Good night, then. See you in the morning!”

“Good night Yui-chan!” Nai called to her, beaming with purity and innocence. “I hope you got some very special gifts today!”

Yui quickened her pace to her room and closed the door as fast as possible. She flopped onto her bed and squealed happily into her pillow, the sound coming out muffled. But she was glad for that. She hugged the pillow to her chest and grinned until she fell asleep. For once in her life, she prayed that the days would be shorter so her birthday could come back around soon.

* * *

A Varuga Feast

Yui gnawed on the bones of her latest victim, using them to sharpen and strengthen her teeth for her next meal. She had a feeling her next prey would be a squirmer. She always enjoyed the rush of the hunt. She learned how much she loved it all those years ago, when she gave in to the darkness. Yui was evolving, just as Kafka said she would, to the peak of existence. As long as they gave her meals, she didn’t particularly care what they thought.

Her platinum blonde hair fluttered in the wind as she sat on her pile of bones, watching the city from a safe distance where no one could find her. She preferred to be there where it was as quiet or as long as she so desired. Kafka didn’t mind either, as long as she did as she was told. Footsteps could be heard in the distance. Yui sensed they were Varugas like her and smiled evilly.

“Well, look who made it to the party,” she said, turning to look as them with her piercing gold eyes.

“Sorry we’re late!” one of the two cheerily said, tossing her a bottle of sake that she skillfully caught.

“You wouldn’t believe how many enemies this dungeon held,” the other stated, not taking his eyes off his game console.

“Speak non-gamer for once, geez.” Yui was full-blown annoyed with how he talked like everything around his was a game. But the items he called treasures that he offered her as gifts let him off the hook, if only for a little while.

“Well, boys,” she said, her grin growing more evil by the second, “A Circus agent is on his way; alone. He thinks he can take all three of us at once.”

“Woohoo!” the younger of the two guys cheered, fist pumping the air. “We’ll be having a Circus agent feast tonight!”

“I get dibs on the innards!” Yui quickly declared, her evil grin turning into a happy one like the flip of a switch. “It is _my_ day after all!”

“Just leave the rare items for me,” the older boy stated, looking up from his game.

“Deal!” The three began to move out, and Yui whispered into the wind that had picked up, “Happy birthday to me~”

* * *

Extravagant Surprise

Yui yawned and stretched her arms as sunlight invaded her room from the balcony. She sat up, pushing the plush sheets off. Before she could make a move to get up, the door to her room swung open. The person didn’t so much as bother knocking before skipping happily into the room.

“Good morning, Yui!” the girl happily greeted, her pink braided pigtails moving up and down slightly and she bounced on the balls of her feet.

“Good morning, Eliska-chan,” Yui greeted back with a polite smile, disguising her slight annoyance at the younger girl’s lack of manners at the moment.

Eliska squealed with delight, her aura radiating her pure excitement. “Today’s super special!” Then, she pouted, crossing her arms over her chest. “But I’m a bit sad I had to learn from a magazine and not you that today is your birthday.”

 _So that’s why she’s excited?_ Yui mentally asked herself with confusion. Was it worth getting so worked up about? “Well, I never really celebrated my birthday all that much, so I’ve always been fine with just spending the day like it was any other.”

“That changes today!” The pink-haired girl declared with a confident smile. “Now that you live here, especially as all mine, you’ll know how royalty feels!” Eliska happily skipped out of the room.

Yui sighed and got out of bed, walking to her closet and picking out a set of clothes. As she dressed, she thought about how her life came to the point it was at. First, she’s an up-and-coming singer. She performed in various cities and towns, spreading her music all around. But at one concert in particular, a young girl approached her backstage once the show had concluded. Her arrogant and princess-like attitude left much to be desired, but she was still quite naïve and carefree. Yui learned that her name was Eliska. Eliska invited her to live at Smoky Mansion when she learned that Yui lived by herself in a slightly less than average apartment because she was living paycheck to paycheck just to pursue her passion.

In the end, catching the attention of a spoiled little girl and being brought back to her home to be her supposed “lover” wasn’t too bad. Well, it wasn’t as bad as her old life; that was for sure. She received three square meals a day, never having to wonder if she had enough for food. Eliska had filled her wardrobe with clothes. They weren’t completely her style, but they were tasteful at the very least. She was allowed to go outside at any time, so she didn’t feel imprisoned really. There was something off about the place, but Yui figured she was just imagining things. It was never easy to fully adjust to a completely new life after all.

Dressed in a light pink knee-length dress with white lace along the collar and hem, Yui headed to the dining area for breakfast, as usual. She wondered what Eliska meant by being treated like royalty just because it was her birthday. When she turned the corner to her destination, her eyes widened at the sight. There was a huge cake in the center of the dining table. It probably surpassed the height of the table it was on. It was decorated with all sorts of edible flowers and it was very colorful. The room looked like a party room, filled with streamers and balloons; everything someone would think of when they heard the word party.

“Surprise!” Eliska popped out from behind the cake and rushed to Yui’s side, hugging her arm. “I told you I was going to make today special!”

“You sure did,” Yui said, nervously smiling due to the over-the-top surprise. “I appreciate it.”

“Good!” Eliska was beaming from Yui’s approval. “I have one more thing for you!” The pinkette took a rectangular box from the table and opened it in front of Yui’s face. Inside was a golden necklace with a big amethyst in the middle with an “E” etched inside. It was accompanied by four smaller ones. “I want you to have this, Yui! Wear it, okay? That way, people will always know!” Eliska pointed to the necklace around her neck. It was a slightly smaller version and the jewel in the middle had a “Y” on it.

“Okay…” Yui tried to be as polite as possible as she took the box. At least Eliska was right in the sense that she certainly wouldn’t forget this birthday. She still didn’t wear the necklace though.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for sticking through this. Now if you'll excuse me, I need my sleep. Like, now.


	14. The Other Side

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A trip to Rinol turns deadly as the Circus crew encounters some unexpected enemies.

Lacking oxygen, Gareki and Yui had to break apart to breathe. She slowly moved back, but didn’t go too far so she could stay in his hold. She opened her eyes and instantly blushed as deep blue eyes stared back at her. The boy in front of her incited both great frustration and intense excitement. That she couldn’t deny.

Yui turned her gaze to the ground as if it was the most interesting thing in the world. “S-so…is this, I-I mean we, a thing now…?” She wanted to club herself over the head for that stupid question.

Gareki seemed at a loss for words. But he unexpectedly let go and turned away from Yui, his bangs falling over his eyes. “I don’t know. But I don’t think so. Let’s just forget this happened.”

The blonde flinched. It wasn't his words that shocked her, but the tone in his voice. Suddenly, anger formed in her gut. She knew that tone far too well and something was telling her not to let this one chance at possible joy slip away. “Oh, hell no!” she shouted and moved in front of him. She pulled down on his jacket collar to put him at her eye level. “Don’t you dare Gareki! I know that tone! You think you’re not a good person and you have to push people away so they don’t get involved! I did that way too much and I hate myself for it! So don’t give me that crap! You _are_ good, even if you don’t want to accept it! I’m not letting you get away!” Yui breathed heavily as she finished yelling, her grip on his collar turning her knuckles white. “Don’t do this…” she whispered, choking up but refusing to cry.

The black-haired boy just sighed and looked at her. “I can’t win with you, can I?”

Yui softly smiled. “Nope. And because you can’t, I can tell right now which role I’ll have in this relationship.” She giggled as Gareki’s cheeks turned red.

“W-whatever…” Gareki muttered, looking everywhere but at her. She couldn’t help but smile at his behavior.

“I should go back and rest.” The girl packed away her tools and placed them back on the workshop table she used.

“Alright. See you, I guess.”

“Definitely.” Yui waved as she exited the room, her leg still sore but she managed to go back to the medical room to rest.

* * *

A few days later and Yui was almost slightly glad her healing abilities came from the Varuga blood in her system. The doctor said that without it, she would’ve been bedridden for at least a week or two. Everyone was well aware that such an extended period of time without any action on or off the battlefield would’ve left her stir-crazy. Luckily, that wasn’t going to happen. An added bonus was that she was to join in on a little trip to Rinol, known as the City of Ice. Of course, Yui knew from the name “City of Ice” that it wasn’t going to be any pleasure trip. Her research of the area only confirmed that theory. But she so desperately wanted to get out of the airship and into her line of work.

Checking over her clothing once more, Yui gave herself the okay to join the others. Her lilac snow boots quietly squeaked against the polished floor as she made her way to the ship dock. Apparently, they would be boarding the same vehicle together and go on to Rinol from there. Once Yui arrived, Nai was the first to notice and cheerfully wave her over. She gave him a nod and walked toward the others.

“Yo,” Yui greeted.

“You’re surprisingly chipper,” Tsukumo commented, her facial expression impassive as ever.

“Yeah, well I’m just glad to be out of that stiff medical bed,” Yui stated, rotating her neck to get out any kinks. “I could seriously go for some exercise.”

“I can’t believe it!” Yogi exclaimed, jumping up and down. “Hirato-san is giving us a holiday!” _Oh, you poor sap_ , Yui mentally stated with pity, shaking her head at Yogi’s naivety.

“Let’s get moving!” the younger blonde girl exclaimed, heading towards the designated ship. “I wanna stretch my legs after the doc restrained them with those super tight bandages!” She smiled wide and put on her lilac gloves as she boarded the vehicle. She opted for sitting in the back, but had a feeling she was going to be a backseat driver one way or another.

Nai happily hopped over to the seat on Yui’s right side and strapped himself in. Yui looked at him and saw the equivalent of a fuzzy little puppy as Nai bounced in her seat with contained excitement. Gareki eased into the seat on her left, a bored expression plastered on his face. Yui took glances at his hand that was on the armrest. She slowly reached over and hooked her pinky around his. She was too embarrassed to look him in the eye though. Gareki apparently felt the same, looking away as well.

* * *

“Hirato, you meanie!” Yogi exclaimed into the blizzardy air, hugging the little Yukkin tight.

Yui stared at them blankly and sighed. “I knew it. Let’s just do what we need to do so we can go home.” She turned to Azuna, who was just politely standing around. “So, we’re here to look at some run down mansion, right? Mind pointing us in the right direction?”

“Oh, yes,” Azuna replied with his carefree smile, “but you have been asked to stay behind to scout the wider area, Yui-san.”

“I see,” Yui said, feeling a little skeptical. Why only she stay behind? “If that’s an order, then I can’t refuse.”

“I’ll stay with you,” Gareki said, stepping forward.

“Me too!” Nai exclaimed.

“No, it’s fine,” the young blonde stated, waving her hand in a shooing motion. “You all go on ahead. I’m sure you’ll find some really interesting stuff. If you can, bring me back something while you’re at it.”

“You heard her,” Yogi shouted over the intense winds that began to pick up in the area, “let’s go so we can go home right away!”

The group left while Yui stayed behind. If she was going to be on patrol, she needed something important. Good thing she thought a few steps ahead. She scowled when she pulled out her phone and no signal was displayed. So much for entertainment and the only chance to stay sane when all she had to look at was snow.

She decided to check out the perimeter while she was here, to make sure no threats would be posed to the group. As she travelled through the snowy wasteland, Yui found herself wondering in her thoughts, but her vigilance remained sharp. Her life was so simple before. All she needed to do was fight Varugas, operate the computers, and repeat. Now, her life was filled with so many confused emotions and people. She never felt something close to infatuation before, but here she was in relationship—that was what she was going to call this confusion for the time being—with a civilian that was dragged into Circus’s situation. Did that mean he would eventually leave? Would he stay and become an official member?

A loud boom made Yui stop cold. She swirled around to see a massive cloud of powdered snow puffed into the air a short distance away. Yui immediately sprang into action, heading to the explosion. She just prayed her comrades weren’t involved or seriously hurt by it.

* * *

It was no use! They were getting their asses kicked. Every move they made was evaded. Not to mention that stupid game console the guy calling himself Kagiri held had some sort of signal that left them temporarily blinded. Just as the brothers were about to launch another attack, they stopped in their tracks and looked around them.

“Hey, do you hear something?” Kiharu asked, turning to Kagiri. He started looking around and even smelling the air.

Yogi and Gareki were confused by what the blue-haired Varuga said and stopped as well. They tried to strain their ears to pick up what the other two were apparently hearing. Soon enough, the sound of a roaring engine began fading in. The sound grew more intense with each passing second.

“Look out!” one of the Varuga brothers shouted and the two jumped high into the air.

A wall of snow was created by whatever barged in on the middle of the battle. Gareki’s eyes widened when the snow cleared to reveal a very familiar motorcycle. He noticed the tires were different, probably to operate on the icy ground. Riding on top was Yui, with her goggles snug over her face and a scowl painting her lips. She lifted her goggles off her eyes and turned to glare at the two Varugas he and Yogi were fighting earlier.

“Would ya look at that?” Kiharu said with a huge grin, his pointed teeth showing very clearly. “A chick rode in on a sick ride! She’s pretty cute too.” He then took one long whiff. “That smell… Is she one of us…?”

“Whoa!” the red-haired Varuga shouted, staring on in amazement. “It’s a super ultra-rare item! I’ve never seen something so advanced before! It looks badass!” His thumbs were still flying on his game console as he stared at Yui’s bike with amazement, the console making all sorts of sounds that one would typically hear in an 8-bit game.

“Remnants in the Dragon Tower, right?” Yui offhandedly asked, recognizing the game sounds.

“You know RDT?!” Kagiri exclaimed in surprise. “It’s a classic among classics! I’m impressed you know about it!”

“Of course. It’s practically the basis for JRPGs.” The blonde then let out a sigh. “Geez, I finally meet someone with good taste in games and they turn out to be the enemy. Bummer.”

“Hey, wait!” Kiharu exclaimed, pointing at Yui. “Doesn’t this girl look familiar?”

Yui didn’t listen to a word he said, her determination set. She fastened her goggles back over her eyes and revved up the engine. “Charge, Johanna!” Without setting even a toe of the gas pedal, the motorcycle sped towards Kagiri and Kiharu, effectively knocking them back and Yui curved sideways and slammed into both of them.

Gareki couldn’t help but stare in amazement as Yui didn’t use a hint of her Circus abilities to fight the opponent. “She’s…”

“…Scary,” Yogi finished for the black-haired boy.

“What are you waiting for; a formal invitation?!” Yui hollered at them. “Get on, Gareki! Yogi, you know what to do!”

“I’m not leaving this fight!” Gareki said in refusal.

“Who said you’re leaving the fight?” The blonde gave him a confident smile. “It’s just my turn to back you up is all.” She looked at him with such an earnest gaze that he didn’t dare refuse. He would’ve looked like a douche otherwise. Gareki sat behind Yui, holding the seat tightly. “Gun it!” she yelled and the motorcycle took off. Yogi jumped through the trees to have the higher advantage point. Yui looked back to see the Varugas following close behind.

“Hey,” Gareki shouted, the wind blowing loudly and muffling his words somewhat, “how are you driving this thing without actually driving?!”

“Oh! It’s an AI I created and installed in my bike! I named it Johanna!” Yui yelled back so he could hear her.

“Why?” the young man flatly asked.

“Because I wanted to!”

“Don’t ignore us!” Kiharu and Kagiri shouted at the couple, jumping through the trees to catch up.

“Do it!” Gareki took Yui’s signal and pulled out his gun, shooting at the two Varugas that were chasing after them.

He managed to shoot their legs and slow them down a bit, but that wasn’t enough to completely derail them. Yui veered to the right as Gareki saw Yogi fly through the air, right behind the enemies. He used his swords to summons the thorny plants from the ground, trapping the two Varugas inside a cage of them. He accelerated to catch up to Yui and Gareki, flying right beside the motorcycle as it sped across the snowy ground.

“Success!” Yogi cheered as he gave Yui a thumbs-up.

“I have to admit that was impressive,” Yui said with a slight nod. “That should distract them long enough for us to come up with a more proper plan.” She turned to Yogi to ask him a question, but noticed something that caused her eyes to go wide. “Yogi…where’s your patch…?”

“Huh?” With a look of shock, Yogi reached up and touched his face, letting out a silent gasp as her felt around his cheeks. “Oh god…”

While their guard was off, Kiharu managed to get close enough to them in a matter of seconds. He smiled maliciously, his blackened eye staring them down as he pushed the ground. The force sent the motorcycle and everyone flying, tumbling to the ground. Gareki and Yui were tossed off the bike and landed on the ground, but the impact was much harsher for the blonde girl, her head hitting the base of a tree. Yogi was much worse, hitting a rock and rolling a little farther than where Gareki landed.

“Did we do it…?” Kagiri cautiously asked. A minute passed and no one was showing the slightest indication of getting back up. “Woohoo! We did it! The super-rare treasure is mine!”

Kiharu pumped his fist in the air. “Hell yeah! Uro is going to give us extra food this time! Three Circus members dead! But let’s be sure.” He strode up to Yui first, lifting his foot and ready to snap her neck with it. But before he could, he felt immeasurable pain that made his blackened eyes well up with tears. He looked down to see the blonde girl’s booted foot pressed aggressively against his crotch. “HOLY HELL!” the Varuga cried at the top of his lungs and scuttled away from her in pain. His choked up words couldn’t be understood and his voice hit a higher pitch than a dude was probably capable of.

The best part was that Gareki saw was happened at nearly burst out laughing from the guy’s misfortune. He had regained consciousness just a few seconds prior to the event but kept his head down to try and analyze what the bastards were going to do next. His blue eyes widened as he saw the blue-haired Varuga approach Yui with the intent of killing her. But before he could get up and grab his gun, Yui had unexpectedly delivered a swift kick to the guy’s balls. That meant she was alive and as badass as ever. However, before he could get up and go to her, a chill travelled down his spine as he heard an unsettlingly familiar laugh.

Yui jumped to her feet and let out an irritated groan. When she opened her eyes, they were molten gold. That was enough to tell Gareki that Kyouki had come out and it was going to be hell. “Geez,” Kyouki grumbled to herself, “It’s like I’m only here for plot convenience.” She dusted herself off, muttering under her breath. “Next thing you know, I’m getting my own arc.”

“The hell…?” Kagiri realized he was looking at a Varuga. “We weren’t told about this.”

Kyouki looked over and smirked at him. “You’re next, gamer boy.”

“Don’t leave me out~” a voice from behind her called out. Gareki recognized him as Yogi, but his hair was grey and his pupils glowed red. He had an almost deranged look in his eyes, as if only a shred of humanity remained within him.

“Wouldn’t dream of it,” Kyouki responded. She let Yogi attack on his own, knowing that he could handle them on his own. She had another job to do.

Gareki saw Kyouki coming his way. His back was against a tree and his body stiffened. He had seen what a Varuga was able to do, but this one had a will of her own and had the intelligence to strategize various scenarios. Kyouki grabbed him by his messy black hair and pinned him to the tree he was leaning against. She looked him dead in the eye and was appearing to be contemplating something. But he responded by glaring at her, to which she smirked. “I was wondering what she saw in you. You got spunk.” She then leaned over to shield his body from Yogi’s oncoming attack, her back taking the brunt of it as she winced. “He’s gotten more reckless.”

“Why did you do that?!” Gareki yelled at her, but she wasn’t looking at him. She was currently staring at Yogi, who was passed out and his hair was back to its golden blonde. The two Varugas were long gone.

Kyouki just gave him the side-eye. “Didn’t I just tell you why? Anyway, I’ve got some business to take care of.” In a flash, Kyouki was gone.

Meanwhile, Kiharu was running for his life with Kagiri on one shoulder and the pigtailed Circus girl on the other. Those other guys were way too strong. They definitely had Varuga blood flowing in their veins. And he was still in pain from that one chick kicking him in the nuts! At least he was going to go back to Uro with something worthy of a reward; a Circus agent in the flesh! He suddenly skidded to a stop once he saw someone in front of him. It was the girl who kicked him. The memory alone caused him to shiver.

“You have something of mine,” she bluntly stated, pointing to the girl he had hoisted on his left shoulder.

“No way!” Kiharu defiantly shouted. He gripped the girl tight. He would be so screwed if he didn’t report back with _something_! Then again, there was still the box in his pocket…

“That’s cute,” the female Varuga commented with a twisted laugh. “You think you have a choice.” She moved as fast as lightning, grabbing Tsukumo from the Varuga and delivering a swift kick down on Kiharu, much like last time. Except now it was aimed at his head, making him falling to the snow-covered ground. Once he quickly recovered and wiped the snow from his face, the two were already long gone along with their scents. Kiharu’s face drastically paled as he could only imagine what this meant when they got back to Uro.

* * *

“Why do I feel like I got run over by an eighteen wheeler?” Yui asked, rubbing her head to soothe the massive headache that attacked her when she awoke. She remembered fighting in Rinol, getting away from two Varugas, and landing in the snow. But after that, it was blank. When she woke up, she was in the one place she frequented most; the medical room on Airship Two. _It’s sad I’m here more often than my room_. The young girl sighed deeply and looked toward the door.

“ _Haha_!” Kyouki laughed within her head. Yui always hated that about her. The Varuga liked to rattle in her mentally build cage and comment on everything. It scared her a lot when she was growing up, but now she was just bored of it. “ _Hey! Don’t think I did anything wrong! In fact, you should be thanking me_!”

“And why’s that?” Yui asked in a quiet tone.

Before Kyouki could answer, the door to the room opened and Ryoushi walked in. “Good to see you’re awake. You seemed to have quite the adventure.” He looked at a clipboard, probably containing her vitals, and turned back to her, stroking his beard. “It appears that when you’re in grave danger, the Varuga blood takes hold and shields you from possible death. It’s basic survival instinct.”

“I see,” was all Yui could say, sitting up and crossing her legs as she stared down at the sheets. “Does…does that mean it’s getting stronger…?”

“No. I can say that instinct has always been there. You’ve just always been a tough cookie and have never experienced near-death like you did recently.” Yui sighed in relief at this. “However, putting yourself in more of these dire situations will cause it to worsen over time. So be more cautious from now on.”

Normally, she would come up with some kind of sarcastic remark or retort of some caliber, but she was just too tired. She was tired of the tests, the fear, and the unavoidable truth. But even though she was tired, she’d slap herself awake. “Alright.” Yui got out of the bed, ready to head back to her own bed. “Thanks.”

“Before you go,” Ryoushi interrupted, causing Yui to pause, “Tsukumo is recovering in her room. Kyouki saved her.”

_She did?_ Yui couldn’t believe what she was hearing.

“ _I sure as hell did_ ,” Kyouki responded nonchalantly. “ _I just don’t like owing debts. You can try and fill in the rest from there_.”

* * *

Yui wouldn’t stop fidgeting with her hands as she stood in front of Tsukumo’s door. She didn’t know why she was so nervous. She wasn’t the one who hurt Tsukumo. In fact, she was technically her savior. What it because of what Kyouki said? She raised her hand to knock, but the door just had to conveniently open before she could.

The girl coming from the other side of the door stopped to assess the person in front of her. “Yui, is everything alright?” Tsukumo questioned.

“Can we talk?” Yui simply asked, straightening her back.

“Of course.” Tsukumo moved aside, allowing Yui to enter the room, before closing the door behind them.

Yui sat down on the bed, still staring down at her hands. “I’m sorry you got hurt.”

“It wasn’t your fault,” Tsukumo replied with her usual gentle tone. “You weren’t the one who attacked or kidnapped me. In fact, you saved me. I could be in Kafka’s hands or even dead if you hadn’t come.”

“That wasn’t me though,” Yui muttered, her intertwined hands clenching together.

“Nevertheless, I’m here now because of you.”

“But still!” Yui shouted, shocking ever herself. “I felt so helpless… I couldn’t help you as myself… I needed the Varuga in me to do everything…”

Tsukumo sat beside Yui and wrapped her arms around the younger blonde. “You know that’s not true,” she stated, “I may not be good at comforting you, but you are capable as many things, even without your blood. You are smart, strong-willed, and quite funny.”

Even though Tsukumo wasn’t the best at this sort of thing, Yui felt warm and comforted. “Thank you Tsukumo.” She wrapped her arms around the older girl and smiled. She had family to lean on when she felt down. That’s something she obtained as Yui and no one else. _It’s going to be okay. I’m going to hope so, at least._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, I changed part of the plot line because I don't want to follow the story to the letter. I'm getting better at it.


	15. Because What General Love Story Doesn't Have a Beach Scene?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The crew heads to the beach for a little rest and relaxation. This time it's not a trick, as they arrive at the most beautiful beach resort they've ever seen. Thus typical beach-related events and tropes ensue.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a beach episode, because it’s a necessary summer thing. I at least wanted to finish this before the end of August, or at least before school started back up for me. This is the final taste of summer I’m going to get for the next 9 months!

“I’ve decided to give you a little vacation,” Hirato informed the second ship crew as they ate their meal together. The answer to his statement was complete silence since everyone was completely shocked.

“A vacation?” Tsukumo asked in confusion. Circus agents worked day and night, whenever they were needed. Receiving a vacation was completely unheard of.

“What are you playing at?” Gareki inquired, his usual not very harsh glare in place.

“I’m not playing at anything,” the captain answered with a grin, “We are passing over a town that has a lovely beach resort. And you’ve all done such fine work that I believe you deserved a day to yourselves.”

“So you’re not tricking us?” Yui skeptically asked. She was just a little weary of the situation.

“Why would I lie to you about this?”

“Rinol,” Yui bluntly replied before giving Gareki, who was sitting next to her, a few more pieces of her steak. He nodded his head in thanks and kept eating.

Hirato only chuckled. “Yes, well this time I truly mean it. A tropical resort is a nice contrast to a snowy landscape.”

“I’m so excited!” Yogi exclaimed, raising his arms up high.

“I’ve never been to a beach before,” Nai enthusiastically stated, his red eyes sparkling with excitement. “I can’t wait!”

“If that’s the case,” Eva butted in, “then you’ll need a swimsuit!” She pointed her fork straight at Yui, who looked up from her food with confusion.

The blonde swallowed her food before asking, “Why do I need one? Can’t I just stay on the shore?"

“Absolutely not!” Eva firmly stared at Yui like she just said something unforgiveable. “Beaches are places for shaved ice, volleyball, and most importantly _swimming_!”

“But you know I’m not a good swimmer,” Yui argued.

“Then I’ll just have to teach you! Besides, this will give us some nice girl bonding time. Right, Tsukumo?” Eva reached over to Tsukumo and pulled her into a hug.

Tsukumo didn’t seem to enjoy it though. “Please let go…”

Yui sighed, feeling there was no way to escape from Eva and her plots. “Fine. I’ll go along with this…”

“Great! I’ll make sure we find you something that’ll make all the guys, especially your little boyfriend here, go nuts!”

Both Gareki and Yui coughed as they were about to choke on their food after hearing that. “E-Eva!” Yui stuttered, her cheeks turning red.

* * *

“Now, let’s see here. Where to go next…”

Eva walked down the street, holding up a map of the city. Yui and Tsukumo followed close behind her, but they weren’t as excited as Eva was. Yui looked at her comrades and then herself. It was one of those rare occasions that they were together and not wearing their work clothes. She noticed their different senses of style both on regular days and on the job.

Eva had almost a gypsy theme about her. She wasn’t afraid to show off her midsection any chance she got. She also wore clothes with a little puffiness to them. They were somewhat loose but fit her body type perfectly. So Yui had deduced Eva had that kind of flair.

Tsukumo’s taste was more refined than either of them. She always opted to wear something elegant but never too flashy. Yui knew Tsukumo was the modest type. It probably was also because Tsukumo was never bothered by people’s opinions of her. But she was the only one that Yui knew whose attitude made her attire that much better looking.

Yui looked down at her own clothes for a moment. She was nothing close to Eva or Tsukumo. If someone looked at them on the street without knowing them, they would probably think she was just going in the same direction as them and had no relation whatsoever. She was a blend of punk and army girl. She liked wearing high boots and leather jackets. She hated frills, ruffles, and things that were way too pink. She never did fit in amongst the girls, not even back at the academy. And she wore the same thing as everyone else there!

“Yui, are you okay?” Tsukumo asked, placing a hand on her shoulder. “You were just standing there and you weren’t responding.”

The younger blonde blushed and shook her head. “It’s okay! Really, I’m fine! I was just thinking.”

“Glad you snapped out of it!” Eva exclaimed and began to tug the two girls along. “I found the perfect place.”

* * *

“I still hate this,” Yui groaned as she sipped the cola she bought. She was carrying a bag in her other hand that held her brand new swimsuit. She was just so tired. Eva forced her to spend half an hour trying on all sorts to swimwear; something about the ideal of a woman’s figure or whatever. _This is so stupid._

“You think that now,” Eva commented, “but once we’re at the resort, you’re going to be thanking me!”

“I don’t know about me, but the one you chose looked great on you, Tsukumo.”

“M-me?” Tsukumo blushed and turned away. “I don’t know about that…”

“By the way,” Eva interrupted, taking another lick of her vanilla ice cream before proceeding, “You’re going undercover again, aren’t you? This time you’ll be performing for a concert hall, right?”

“That’s right,” Yui answered, wondering where the elder woman was going with this conversation. “I’ll be singing.”

“Will you be singing _that_ song?” Tsukumo softly asked.

“Most likely,” the other blonde said, nodding.

“Oh! Please sing it for us!” Eva enthusiastically exclaimed. The girls had travelled to the forest where the ship they travelled on was docked.

“Now?!”

“Yes, now!”

Yui sighed. She knew once again there was no escape from Eva. “Fine…” She took a deep breath and proceeded with the little performance. “ _You are the ocean’s gray waves; destined to seek life beyond the shore, just out of reach. Yet the waters ever change, flowing like time. The path is yours to climb._ ”

During her singing, Eva and Tsukumo had noticeably relaxed. Yui’s voice was just that calming to them, especially when she sang this particular song. When they first asked about it, Yui just said she somehow knew it. There was really no explanation. Nevertheless, everyone who heard the song was instantly enthralled and relaxed no matter the circumstances.

* * *

Yui knocked on the door to Gareki and Nai’s room, entering after hearing a faint “come in.” She opened the door to find Gareki relaxing on the top bunk and Nai gazing out the window. “Gift for you,” the blonde stated before tossing a shopping bag onto the little coffee table.

“A gift?!” Nai exclaimed, his red eyes lighting up like a child on Christmas. He hugged the bag with a big smile. “Thank you so much!”

“It’s not that big of a deal.” Yui then turned to Gareki and outstretched her hand. Dangling from her wrist was a smaller shopping bag with the same logo as the one Nai was hugging. Gareki lifted an eyebrow but took the bag anyway. “You’ll thank me for it later.” She took a glance over at the other bag and turned to the door. She then left the room, closing the door behind her. It didn’t even take ten steps before she heard “What the hell?!” from the other side of the door. Yui smirked and kept walking. _Yeah, he’ll definitely thank me_.

* * *

“I hate everything,” Yui complained, feeling self-conscious for no reason. Her new swimsuit was under her clothes but the mere thought of revealing it left her in a state of embarrassment.

“Come on Yui,” Eva said with a laugh, “Live a little.”

“She says without a hint of irony given the nature of our job,” Yui pointed out, staring out the window of the car Circus had rented out for the occasion. The boys were in a separate one, so this gave Eva some opportunity to tease Yui more than usual.

“So tell me,” Eva leaned in close and whispered, “you two go all the way yet?”

Yui’s face turned red as a tomato and she leaned as far away from Eva as she possibly could. “Eva!” she shouted in exasperation. Thank goodness the driver couldn’t listen in on them. “Why are you so persistent about this?!”

“I just want you to be happy,” Eva simply stated, pulling the poor blonde close and laying her hands on her shoulders. “But men can also be some of the vilest creatures on this earth. Remember that. As soon as he tries something funny, don’t hold back when kicking his ass.”

“Yes Eva.”

“Oh, we’ve arrived.” Eva pointed her painted nail at the window to the right.

Yui and Tsukumo—she was also nearby but chose not to take part in the conversation—looked out at the window and their eyes sparkled in awe. Not far off was the crystal blue ocean, the rays of sun making it shimmer beautifully. The waves crashed onto the shore with elegance. People lined the beach, playing and tanning. Half of them were swimming in the water and Tsukumo pointed out some teenagers playing on the volleyball court. Kids ran around with squirt guns and built sand castles. Surf shops and ice cream stands dotted the shorelines as well. In short, it was a breathtaking scene. Yui and Tsukumo were taken aback when the car finally stopped and their eyes landed on the beach resort’s hotel. Extravagant was an understatement. The awning must have stretched as far as a red carpet at a movie premiere. The exterior boasted a tropical theme with tropical flowers lining walls, rails, and roofs. It was a bit vague in a sense if people just took what they thought about Hawaii and mixed it with advertisements for resorts. The girls moved out of the car and looked around. The fresh air surrounding them was, well, a breath of fresh air.

_Wow, creative statement of the year_ , Kyouki mocked.

_Shut up_ , Yui scolded.

“This place is amazing!” Yogi cheered as he jumped out of the car the guys were placed into when they left the airship. “I haven’t been to the beach in so long!”

“It’s beautiful!” Nai exclaimed, excitedly looking around. Gareki said nothing but his gaze moved to different places.

“Well I can’t wait to get a tan,” Eva stated, grabbing Yui and Tsukumo’s arm, “so let’s go!”

_Maybe I should’ve stayed behind_ , Yui sulked while being dragging by Eva. She had a feeling that was going to be happened a lot.

* * *

Yogi, Gareki, and Nai sat at a table near the dressing rooms on the beach. They had already changed into their swimming trunks and were waiting for the girls so they could all enjoy the day together. But they were taking quite a while and the sun’s heat was turning relentless as the guys just sat there.

“We’re ready~!” Eva’s voice echoed from the changing rooms and she walked out in her swimsuit, Tsukumo following shortly after.

Eva was in a teal one piece that accentuated her curvy figure as it had enough material to be a bikini, but connected enough to be called a one piece. There were no straps for the shoulders either. The metal ring in the front circled her belly button as the material tied on it connected to the top and bottom half. The back was bare, making it look like a bikini from behind. Gold speckled the swimsuit to make it shimmer in the sun. Tsukumo blushed and looked down at her followed hands, feeling embarrassed while in a bikini. It was a light pink with white ruffles lining the bottom of the top half and the top of the bottom half like a skirt. It hugged her body perfectly and complimented her skin tone. The guys were left in awe, their eyes wide; except Nai, of course, because he was just that innocent.

Eva looked confused for a moment, turning around as if searching for something, and then let out an exasperated sigh. “Yui, come out~” the elder woman said in a sing-song voice. “Show off that lovely swimsuit I bought you~”

“I don’t wanna!” Yui called back from the dressing room.

“Now, now, don’t be like that~” Eva headed back into the dressing room, pulling Yui out with her. Gareki’s jaw nearly hit the sandy ground when Yui was pulled out, deep blush on her cheeks and arms covering her chest. She wore a bikini as well, but just a tad more revealing that Tsukumo’s. It was tie-dye with lilac, sky blue, and white. Her cleavage was exposed by the triangular material that made up the top half of her swimsuit. The bottom half had cute white bows on the sides tying the front and back together. Yui turned away from everyone’s gaze, reaching back and adjusting the tie at the back her neck.

“By the way,” the teal-haired woman interjected, “that isn’t what I got for you.” She pointed to the swimming trunks Gareki was wearing and pouted.

“No way in hell was I wearing the trashy thing,” Gareki argued, to which Yui snickered.

“Told you,” Yui commented, still snickering.

“Come on!” Yogi exclaimed, holding his inflatable beach ball. “Let’s play!” He laughed and ran towards the water, followed by a giddy Nai. Everyone else just shrugged and jogged after the two very excitable boys.

“This water feels amazing,” Tsukumo commented.

“It sure does,” Yui agreed, her feet the only appendages in the water as she sat on the shore. She stared down at her reflection in the water with a blank face. Except this time, she was feeling extremely relaxed instead of frustrated. But her thoughts were caught off when a squirt of water hit her in the face. “What the hell?!” she cried, wiping the water from her face, her cheeks burning with anger. She looked around and spotted Yogi with a squirt gun and his face pale white. “You’re so gonna get it!” Yui launched herself at Yogi, grabbing the gun from his hands. She smiled evilly after filling it with water and proceeding to blast him with excellent aim, all while Yogi ran away from her.

The rest of the day was filled with the typical beach activities one would expect. Nai tried to build his first sand castle, which was more horizontal than the Leaning Tower of Pisa. Yogi helped him out later on and it turned out pretty decent. The photo of it became his new wallpaper. Yui just sat on her towel under an umbrella and ate a snow cone she bought from a nearby vendor. Tsukumo tanned on her towel next to Yui, her eyes closed as she nodded off but was surprisingly still very much on guard.

The sun began to sink as the hours passed, painting the sky a collage of oranges and reds. Yui stared off into the distance, watching the water ripple and break the sun’s reflection. It had been too long since she felt so peaceful. She was lost in thought, the waves tickling her feet, until a shadow came into her field of vision.

“Everyone’s waiting,” he stated. Yui looked around to see that her towel and umbrella were gone, most definitely gathered up with all the other supplies.

“Oh,” she simply replied, “alright.” With that, she silently followed Gareki back to the resort hotel. She noticed how they were both still in their swimsuits. She wasn’t good at conversations, so she didn’t know what to say if anything.

“Thanks by the way,” the young male suddenly said, gaining Yui’s attention. She had a good idea what he was talking about.

“Oh, yeah. No problem.” Yui twirled a lock of blonde hair around her finger. “I honestly didn’t know why Eva thought a speedo was a good idea.” A shiver went up both their spines at the mere thought.

Silently, the blonde girl moved closer to Gareki, hooking her arm gently around his as they walked to their destination, leaving footprints behind them. The scene felt so perfect, just the warmth of the sunset hitting their skin. She wished time would stop, and this moment could last forever. A blush made it’s was to Yui’s cheeks and the tips of her ears. She remained this way until they reached the hotel, in front of Yui’s assigned room.

“Thank you,” she whispered, her face still red as she kissed his cheek and rushed into her room, leaving him stunned outside. She was happy, in this moment. She knew that they’d all go back to work soon. At least now, she had some wonderful memories equating to a normal life with dear friends.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yup. I went there. I was in a summer mode, but I’ll be back on track. I hope to get out a new chapter soon but I can’t guarantee anything because school and all its impossible piles of homework will be starting beck up really soon. Thank you for your patience.


End file.
